First published 2011
Elizabeth Warner has settled into a narrow routine in her basement flat near Victoria station. She ventures out only for necessities: groceries and her regular appointments at the hairdresser's. The salon has become her refuge from solitude, a place where she feels cared for and understood. "I rather hope I shall die at the hairdresser's," she tells herself, "for they are bound to know what to do." Her predictable world shifts when she meets someone unexpected during one of these visits. This chance encounter forces Elizabeth to confront questions of trust that she has long avoided. The meeting draws her into a relationship that promises to break through her isolation, yet carries the seeds of disappointment. Brookner captures the delicate hope of a woman who has learned to expect little from life, and the vulnerability that comes when someone dares to want more.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, quiet-life
Setting: Victoria, London
Period: 20th-century
ebook · Penguin