Last year I read Ruth Hogan's novel The Particular Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and really enjoyed it so I was really keen to read her next offering Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel.
This one didn't disappoint either. The book is completely different. It still features characters who are real, complex and nuanced. The book jumps between the life of Tilly a small girl with large ideas, a penchant for finding delight in varied unusual things and Tilda the woman she becomes.
The difference between Tilly and Tilda cannot be bridged unless Tilda is able to face her mother's death and unravel why it was she was sent away from the place of happiness and home they finally found with Queenie.
Will she be brave enough to face the truth and will this new truth shatter the truth that has made her who she is?
A book about perception, the people we become and the inherent imperfection and beauty in all people.
I really like Ruth Hogan - I think her writing is delicate and strong and human.
Details - Hachette NZ, February 2019 RRP $34.99
love you more than a fresh box of matches xxx
