Sometimes one just needs an embrace and Sally Page’s The Book of Beginnings is a huge enveloping hug of a novel!

The heart and soul of the book is about friendship and just as the characters in the book became firm friends, I felt just the same reading the chapters, joining them on their trails, their joys, and their journey to finding their true selves. By the end, it was hard to say goodbye to them all.

Within this beautifully crafted novel the author, through the close third person point of view, captures Jo Sorsby as she arrives in London and her uncle’s beloved albeit rather dated stationery shop. Sadly her Uncle Wilbur was recently diagnosed with dementia and Jo’s mother kindly asked if she would mind looking after the shop for a while. The answer was an unequivocal yes. (‘Sometimes a heartbeat is all the time it takes to reach a decision’.) Not only is Jo a stationery nerd with many happy memories of joining her uncle in his beloved place as a child, but she is also suffering following a recent break-up.

Quickly the reader is drawn into the profound loneliness and heartache of Jo’s life which is in the middle of a devastating flux following the break up of her long-term relationship with the infamous James. A man she realised everyone else detested. At last with the care and love from unexpected and unlikely new friends and childhood and work friends, Jo begins to understand James’s manipulation and control over her.

Her salvation is the shop and its quirky set of characters – two especially become her rock.

One is the wonderful and wise Vanishing Vicar, Reverend Ruth. What caused her to suddenly depart her parish home mid-meal? Ruth’s wit, inherent wisdom and kindness help Jo and others around her, yet at times such deep anxiety and sadness overwhelm her. How can Jo come to Ruth’s aid? A septuagenarian called Malcolm is another regular visitor and he seeks shelter in the shop following an accident. The tight-knit trio is formed and it is a joy to follow their quirky and close friendship as their journeys unfold and this includes their excursions to Highgate Cemetery to help Malcolm write his first ghost book; here they flit into the lives of some of the deceased, imagining their conversations.

Furthermore, as Jo begins to revel in the joy of discovering herself along the way she longs to unravel the stories and secrets around her including that of her best friend Lucy since primary school. Why has Lucy suddenly become withdrawn? She feels the distance and loss keenly, aware this is harder to bear than losing James. (‘Could an out-of-step friendship make you feel ill? Now, she thinks it can’)

As the unusual group becomes ever closer, Jo’s new neighbours also become pivotal in her life. Two neighbouring shops are the opticians and a tattoo parlour. Lando and his family become good friends. Meanwhile, Jo slowly begins to realise that Eric The Viking as she mentally labelled the optician, and embarrassingly blathered this out loud to him, could become important to her as they share much more than just a deep interest in fountain pens and poetry! Alas, following various misunderstandings her awakening of her feelings towards him seems to be too late.

Throughout the book, the customers of the shop are a delightful mix of people, their love of all things stationery creating fleeting friendships as she effectively creates a self-help environment.

Sally Page’s writing is superb, skilfully weaving the characters and their stories into this beautiful novel. At times it is almost lyrical, one saying Uncle Wilbur’s sayings runs like a chorus through the book, and Jo quickly realises that her uncle was referring to much more than fountain pens and paper when he said: ‘A place for everything and everything in its place.’ May we all remember this in our own lives!

I love how this wonderful whimsical cross-generational tale of friendship breaks down the barriers of loneliness and isolation faced by people at crisis points; friendships which continue into their everyday lives. After all, ‘the joy of having a best friend was one of humanity’s best-kept secrets.’

I love how quickly I became caught up in Jo’s and her friends’ lives.

I love the warm and engaging writing and story-telling.

I love stationery shops and by the end of the book eager to head out to buy a fountain pen, maybe one like the new ones bought into stock by Jo. Just like her many customers, I too have my own favourite fountain pen story!

Finally, as a huge fan of the author’s debut novel The Keeper of Stories, I am overjoyed to feel that her second novel is even better … I just hope I don’t have to wait too long for her next creative endeavour!

Many thanks to the publisher HarperCollins UK for granting my request to read a pre-release copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins UK

PUBLICATION DATE: 28th September 2023

GENRE: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women’s Fiction

AVAILABLE: AMAZON UK: KINDLE PAPERBACK Amazon US – hopefully it will soon be released in US soon.

ABOUT SALLY PAGE

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. However, in her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. She soon came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and eventually she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is studying to be a doctor and her youngest daughter is the author, Libby Page.