SAVING MISSY by Beth Morrey

This could easily be seen as a female version of A Man Called Ove - an older woman, living alone, far away from her children/grandchildren,  mourning the life she shared with her beloved husband. It has the charm, the quirkiness, the kindness of neighbours and random people in the community that helped Ove rediscover a reason for living.

Millicent Carmichael, Missy,  is the central figure in this story. It is just after Christmas, her son and grandson have just left for the long flight back to Sydney. She has a difficult relationship with her daughter, the reasons becoming apparent as the story progresses. She is desolate, sad, alone and lonely. At aged 79, she really wonders what her future is going to hold. She decides to take a walk in the park, having heard that the fish in the ponds are being moved from one pond to another. Such an odd thing to be happening, she can't resist going along to see what this is all about. By chance, following a mild fainting attack, she is taken in hand by two younger women, quite different from anyone she has met for quite some time. Their kindness is overwhelming and before long it would seem Missy has become a bit of a project for Sylvie and Angela.

Then a dog enters the mix, a friend of Angela's having to find somewhere for her dog to live while she attempts to rebuild her life after leaving a violent relationship. After a prickly start, Missy being very anti having anything to do with any dog, Bob slowly works his little dog magic. Missy has a companion, a life saver really. Missy finds herself joining a dog walking group, being sociable in the local park, she finds and makes friends, joins a community, makes connections. Her relationship with her daughter improves, and in-between chapters Missy tells her life story.

This is a deeply moving story, achingly sad at times, joyful and exuberant at others. I loved the characters, all of them, including Bob the dog - all so real. The character of Missy is a delight. She would come across to anyone meeting her for the first time as prickly, grumpy, difficult, reclusive. Yet behind that bitter and well wrapped up exterior is a loving, kind, terribly sad and lonely person. We can all think of people in our neighbourhood, our local community whom life has thrashed around a bit, for whom the happiness jar is nearly empty. This is a very timely story, with our increasingly ageing population, more people living alone. Their friends gradually die or move away, their children no longer nearby. We should all take note.