Light and shade in the city

The Secrets of Primrose Square Claudia Carroll, Bonnier Zaffre €14.99

CLAUDIA Carroll is a regular on bestseller lists and this, her 15th novel, is another example of her talent at creating feel-good fiction. Primrose Square is a residential delight, nestled in the heart in the city of Dublin.

Three women are brought together and show the importance of friendship and community spirit.

Susan is consumed by grief and stalks the boy she blames for her daughter’s death. Her obsession means she has forgotten to be a mother to her remaining child, 12-year-old Melissa. Neighbour Jayne takes the girl under her wing when Susan is sent for therapy: “Immediately, Melissa felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest...” The relationship is mutually beneficial. Jayne’s son — who drives an ice-cream van and is married to the high-maintenance Irene — is under financial pressure and is trying to persuade his mother to sell her home. But Jayne has a surprise arriving from Florida which will shake things up a bit.

Assistant theatre director Nancy has rented an apartment in Primrose Square via a home-rental site and has landed on her feet. Emails are flying back and forth between herself and the owner and she finds herself looking forward to their chats more and more each day. Sam’s emails become the highlight of Nancy’s days. Is she falling for someone she’s never actually met? Three homes, three very different stories. Each chapter is assigned a character, merging to create a complete tale. There are bad days, mixed with good, and an overall sense of the strength of friendship through adversity. The humour comes courtesy of Jayne, a 60-something widow who keeps her husband’s ashes in the sitting room and includes him in her conversations.

The Secrets of Primrose Square is classic Claudia Carroll. A gentle, cashmere-blanket read which will move you, but also have you laughing along with the everyday shenanigans.