A very good novel peopled with eccentric, vivid characters, not the least of which is the rabbit named “god.” Elly begins life in just as her mother’s parents’ lives end in an accident. With her mother grief-stricken during Elly’s early years, she bonds instead most closely with her older brother, Joe, who at eight is “already hooked on the verse of Noel Coward and the songs of Kander and Ebb.” It is this relationship, along with that to her mysterious childhood friend, Jenny Penny, who lives with her mum and a series of “uncles,” that form the emotional core of the book. However, there are so many other wonderful characters, such as her father’s theatrical sister, Nancy, who introduced him to his wife, mostly to keep her near; and the aging fop, Arthur, who arrives as a guest to her parent’s B&B in Cornwall and stays the remainder of his life. Ranging from London, to Cornwall, to post-9/11 New York, the book explores love and loss – with a great deal of humor and a little bit of magic. 296 pp.
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