The Keeper of Stories: The most charming and uplifting novel you will read this year!

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The depth of the storytelling reminds me of Ruth Hogan, every character is a little deeper than you first assume. Living and working in the Cambridge area, Janice cleans for a few select clients and although she’s exceptionally good at her job that’s not what makes her stand out as an interesting, memorable character.

I was sorry to bid farewell to these characters but felt I could walk away from them having been enriched by their existence. This is very much a character driven storyline in which the protagonist Janice jumps straight off the page and into your heart. But, once she started sending out her work to potential publishers, reality kicked in as she faced rejection after rejection.Decius– a small and untidy purebred fox terrier who adores Janice just as much as she adores him back. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her. This book is an immersive experience that left me feeling uplifted by its message of hope and resilience.

Janice soon realizes that she is NOT JUST THE CLEANER and I thoroughly enjoyed going on that journey with her. I loved Adam, who had lost his father, a dog helped him start to heal and played an important role in the book. It follows the story of two young children, Max and Emilia, who are taken away to the magical realm of Deltora. She starts cleaning for Mrs B, a cantankerous and delightful woman who also likes to collect stories.Many of the ‘stories’ contain similar themes, some sad, but all part of the overall picture of life. Decius’ character had me in absolute stitches most of the time and I just loved the private conversations these two had. This is such a life affirming, gorgeous novel with a storyline that lights you up with happiness from the inside out so that even as I’m writing my review I find myself grinning from ear to ear remembering these characters with fondness. She really cares for her clients and spends time ensuring their needs are met with barely a thought for her own. The story of how she came to be published – her new novel, The Book of Beginnings, out in late September – reads like the plot of one of her own books.