Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns from sixty years in Australia to the English village of her childhood.
Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.
#Sipsworth X/Twitter @simonvanbooy #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #BookX Instagram @simonvanbooy @randomthingstours #blogtour #bookstagram #mouse
Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship, and a way back into life itself.
My Review
I’m totally in love with this book. If I had a banner I would wave it from the rooftops. I LOVE SIPSWORTH! It’s not just because I became very fond of Helen or that I rather like mice. It’s the way something so small could change the life of one person in such dramatic ways.
Mouse traps, for instance. Such cruel contraptions. You think they kill instantly, but they don’t. Personally, we have only ever used the humane ones. And then there’s Helen’s musings, ‘if mice are capable of giving and receiving love,’ she reasons, ‘are not pigs, cows and chickens of equal intelligence?’ She immediately buries her ‘meat products’ in the garden and becomes a vegetarian.
And what about all the mice who died for us, so we can be cured of diseases? I’m not elevating them to Jesus level, but you get my drift.
It’s only a short book, but not a single word is wasted. Every time Helen has a revelation that goes against ‘her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss’ of which she becomes less sure, she discovers a new friend. From Sipsworth himself to Cecil, Dr Jamal and the mother and son from the library, she realises that people aren’t all that bad. Pets At Home is just up the road Helen. I’m told they have a good selection of mouse food, so I’ll see you later.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Simon Van Booy is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children. He is the editor of three volumes of philosophy and has written for The New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and the BBC.
His books have been translated into many languages and optioned for film. Raised in rural North Wales, he currently lives in New York where he is also a book editor and a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician.
