Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North – Rachel Joyce

It has been ten years since we first met Harold, Queenie and Maureen. Eight years since we heard from Queenie and now it is Maureen Fry’s turn to enter our conscious, to enter our live as we follow another journey. Without a doubt this novella, is a wonderful ending to the story and you need to have read the previous two to make any sense of it or to understand its quiet impact.

Maureen, learns that in Queenie’s garden a statue has been erected. To commemorate her son- David. The kindly Kate that Harold met on his journey has kept in contact and imparts this news. It disturbs Maureen that someone has done this of her son. Her son. This upsets Maureen, since Harold’s return and Queenie’s death life has restored its balance now it is askew again and Maureen needs aswers.

She embarks on this journey via car, early one morning. A much more planned journey that Harold’s but not without its troubles. Maureen gets lost, she needs to seek help something she is not used to doing, she needs to ask strangers for assistance.

Her anger she has held for a number of years whilst propels her forward to her destination, it upsets people along the way and ultimately it is that which softens Maureen. She now has perhaps the ability to answer unasked questions about her grief, about her son and about her relationship with Harold.

So much emotion is packed into this short book. I still didn’t warm to Maureen, but that doesn’t matter, because I learnt a lot about her along the way and perhaps if I did not warm to her, I certainly understood her a lot more. As uplifting as it is heart-breaking, it packs a punch that you remember both previous books doing. A delightful way to bring Harold, Maureen and Queenie’s stories to an end.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North is out now.