Elsie believes she has found the perfect, quiet street to live on, during her aging years. Yes, there is the annoying neighbor Ishaan with his yappy dog, and there is the distinctly unfriendly Joan across the street, and so on; but for the most part, she finds she is left alone. Thank goodness for her best (and only) friend, Daphne, who does come often to keep her company and entertain her. When Elsie finds Ishaan dead in his home (at the age of 93), her life and the life story she’s been carefully guarding suddenly become public, and she finds her world turned upside down.
This is a brilliantly written novel. While there is much in Elsie’s story that is tragic – the moniker she is given by her father of Mad Mabel being the least of it – the story is nevertheless told with a biting wit and tremendous warmth. We cannot help loving Elsie herself, despite her being the epitome of snarky and ornery. And while she claims to detest children, she develops a relationship with the little girl down her street, Persephone, which is utterly tender and beautiful.
Elsie’s story is not unique, sadly. Her history of neglect and abuse at the hand of her father is devastating and yet we know it occurs rampantly, with no regard for class, color, or creed. While she has an aunt who cares deeply for her and is her only advocate among a sea of adults who desert her, she is mostly alone, isolated, and vulnerable. She becomes the victim of circumstance again and again, but it is not by coincidence – it is by design. And it is so important for us as readers to be exposed to these circumstances, again and again.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel, with its humor, its depth, and the multiple twists at the end. I think it just might be a MUST READ!
