The garden house

As lovers, Martin and Julia were discreet to a fault. He was divorced, she was a widow, but they chose circumspection out of an abundance of concern for their grown children's feelings. When Martin dies suddenly, not only is Julia isolated in her grief, but she also worries that Martin's family will posthumously discover their affair and feel betrayed and confused. Her fears come true when Martin's daughter, El, inherits her father's country cottage and finds his cell phone teeming with cryptic texts. El has few people she can rely on to help her make sense of her discovery; one surprising source is Will, the son of her mother's second husband. Their relationship is baffling on its own. They're not related but are deemed step-siblings, so when romantic feelings arise, it is, indeed, complicated. True to form for Willett (Seven Days in Summer, 2020), this is a gentle read that cushions an unexpected intensity as it explores the depths of mourning, the limits of friendships, the mysteries of romance, and the complexities of family.

Willett (Starry, Starry Night) highlights how a new relationship can provide solace through grief in this enjoyable contemporary. When El's father, Martin, dies, El inherits the Pig Pen, his country home near Tavistock, England. Though El's mother, who divorced Martin five years ago, discourages El from moving, El, a recent university graduate, seizes the opportunity. She relocates to Tavistock, gets a job at a local bookstore, and contemplates writing a novel. When El finds her father's phone and discovers texts still coming in from an apparent love interest she knew nothing about, she and her stepbrother and semi-friend, Will, team up to locate the mystery woman. Though El's hurt that her father didn't confide in her, she's comforted by the friendships she finds with her father's community in Tavistock--and by her growing closeness with Will. Willett's atmospheric writing successfully conjures the idyllic English countryside while delivering multifaceted relationship dynamics and well-shaded characters. Readers will want to devour this fast-paced outing in one sitting. (Aug)