Title: Missing Words
Author: Loree Westron
Pages: 160
Publisher: Fairlight Books
Publishing Date: March 1st 2022
Genre: Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Format: Kindle
Rating: 3.5*
Set in UK, during the 1980s strikes, Missing Words by Loree Westron tells the story of a woman who's trying to make sense of her life, her marriage, and mothering a young adult daughter. Jenny, a postal worker, is trying to deliver a postcard with insufficient address to its recipient, and in the process examines her life trajectory, as well as her family's. It's both a sad and hopeful read, set against a gorgeous background.
There are such beautiful scenes depicting the Isle of Wight, it was easy to go along with Jenny on her bike rides around the island. The writing is fluid and easy to follow, and the occasional snippets from Jenny's past give the story more plot. Facing a strained relationship with her daughter Charlotte, after losing her younger daughter two years prior, Jenny reminisces about the tense relationship with her own mother. The postcard she stole when she was supposed to sort mail, brings back the undealt with feelings she had towards Paul/ Paolo, her first love, with whom she had the chance to leave UK to start a new life, before she married Simon. When she took the postcard with the message begging for forgiveness, Jenny must have longed for a chance to offer two people a happy and fulfilling love story, one she's not currently living, despite having been married to Simon for twenty years.
Wandering the island up and down, searching for Deborah to deliver her the postcard, Jenny gets the chance to analyse her life, and eventually come to terms with sometimes not being able to fix all the things. It's a story that's not rushed, it takes its time, and eventually it settles into a rhythm that brings hope for a better future. I enjoyed reading this novella a lot!
I received a free e-book copy of the book from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.
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