The Ballroom Cafe by Ann O'Loughlin

When I started reading this book, I found it more than a little peculiar - two sisters living under the same roof who communicate only by written notes (not because one of them is deaf or mute, oh no because they just don't speak to each other) and then an interloper to this tiny village arrives and is clearly set to shake everyone up.  I did a little mental eye roll and decided to stick with it because I had previously loved The Ludlow Ladies Society which was my introduction to this author.  I was worried that the plot line was going to be something similar - especially as the loss of a child is mentioned early on - and, indeed, there are some similarities in that it is a book primarily about women and their relationships both with each other and the wider world.  Men, are very much second place in Ann O'Loughlin's books and this is very much the case here - yes, they appear and they are dealt with as sensitively as the women but they just aren't important to this story.

Fortunately, I soon become absorbed by the story.  It touches on quite emotive issues - spousal cheating, Magdalen Laundries and adoption.  Unfortunately, the twist that is much vaunted is not so much of a twist as an I knew it but hey ho.  Ella and Roberts clearly have serious issues with each other but as the story unfolds you realise that the reasons behind the fracture in their relationship are manyfold and it wasn't just one incident that caused it; what is surprising is the vitriol in the notes they leave each other, although I will admit to finding some of it amusing.

One thread that runs through the whole tale are the Weiss Brooches.  I just loved the fond descriptions and memories each tiny item of jewellery evoked in Ella and such a simple device managed to create a really evocative snapshot of both the past and the present.  Not always happy times but real times, and these snapshots helped me understand the time, the place and the events between much better.

A truly beautiful story of ordinary lives moulded by societal concerns far beyond the individuals concern.