March 25, 2022
Ruben, Olive, and Dolly grew up together, though Ruben was the son of the lord of the manor and the sisters were daughters of eccentrics who lived with their family in a tiny cottage on the huge estate. An unspoken trauma separated them as adolescents, changing them from childhood friends to three adults leading far-from-their-best lives. Ruben, who returns home to close up the house after his father's death, is confronted by an ex-girlfriend and their ten-year-old daughter, Zadie, whom he has promised (and forgotten) to tend while her mom is on her honeymoon. When they were children, Olive and Dolly's father had set up a treasure hunt on the estate. Ruben finds one of the clues and summons the girls back to help solve the puzzle. Chaos ensues as hurts old and new are dragged out, hashed over, and of course put to rights. This breezy, somewhat-predictable read will find an audience in most public libraries. It was originally published in the UK in 2021.
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