An Unconventional Love Story
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Let me give a thumbs up for this book before I start because otherwise, my opening sentences will be misleading…
I could easily be nominated as the person least likely to enjoy this book because I am terrified of mice and this is the story of a relationship – yep, you read that correctly – between an older woman and a mouse that accidentally gets into her house.
When the publicist for the book emailed me to see if I wanted a review copy, I would have said NO immediately, except that the email contained a graphic that was very appealing. It showed the book cover, complete with title and author, and it also contained the book’s first blurb in five alluring words: “I loved it. – Ann Patchett.”
Remember the math law that says if A=B, and B=C, then A=C? Well, doing the math, if I love Ann Patchett’s work, and she loves this book, then I will love this book.
When the promotional email went on to call Sipsworth “the most unconventional love story of 2024: woman meets mouse,” I was hooked and requested a review copy.
The novel opens this way: “Helen Cartwright was old with her life broken in ways she could not have foreseen.” We go on to learn that she is eighty-three-years-old and that she has lived in Australia for the past sixty years but has now returned to London where she grew up. Also, her husband and son are both dead and have been for a couple of decades.
When Helen first hears a sound in her house, she thinks perhaps it is a burglar, but that makes no sense to her because, “What does she have to steal…everything of value has already been taken?” It turns out to be a mouse. At first, she tries to kill it – and there is a very funny scene with sticky boards – but before long she finds herself worrying about the mouse. She has gotten him outside, but that means he’s out in the elements! And there is a storm! Rescuing him from it, she realizes two things. He is not dying! “And for the first time in many years, against her better judgement, neither is she.”
Soon, she is moving the mouse into her home. Feeding him water out of a lemonade cap, she watches as he dips his head for a sip’s worth. Thus, he earns his name. But as she names the creature, she is further connected to him, taking her own sip’s worth of the secret ingredient of life, connection.
More connections come her way as a librarian helps her with information about mice. And then there is a shop keeper – the one who sold her sticky boards at the start – but then a guy who sticks by her side as things progress in the book. And when there is a medical emergency, there is a doctor she befriends too.
Beyond this wonderful example of community building, there are two things I loved about the book. First, I loved how Helen understood things about Sipsworth that she needed to understand for herself. For instance, she buys him strawberries and nuts as a treat because “it might not be around to see another summer, so why not give it one final taste of what it meant to live.” And second, I loved that there was a plot-twist-of-sorts where we learn about Helen’s life in Australia. She is so much more than an old lady! What a great lesson to learn about older folks (said this seventy-two-year-old book reviewer)!
The publicity packet that came with the book tells me that I am not alone in liking Sipsworth. Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review. The American Booksellers Association puts out a monthly list of books nominated by independent booksellers across the country. It showcases the best new releases in all categories and genres. Sipsworth is a May, 2024 selection for the Indie Next List. And finally, the book has been chosen as the June 2024 selection for the Diane Rehm Book Club.
So many of us have liked it. I think you will too!
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Click here to learn more about Sipsworth on Amazon.
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Another way of thinking about Sipsworth is that it is a story of love, loss, and moving on. Coincidentally, that is the topic – and title – of my most recent book, which is also available on Amazon.
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