I adored this book. Let me just start with that. I didn’t have any idea what I’d find when I started it, but it turned out to be a complete delight. It’s the story of a young couple, Amber and Stevie, who have just bought their own house. It’s not new, it’s definitely seen better days, but it’ll be theirs. They have plans on how they’ll renovate it, over time, when they have the money, and they’re looking forward to making it into a home.
But when Stevie, a police officer, arrives at her new home on the day they’re moving in, she discovers someone else is already there. And it’s not her wife, Amber. It’s Dorothy, the octogenarian woman Stevie and Amber bought the house from. She’s just sitting on a red sofa, in an otherwise empty house. A few minutes later thanks to a broken doorknob, Stevie and Dorothy are stuck on the sofa together, waiting for someone else to come and find them to let them out so Stevie can get on with the celebration she has planned with Amber.
But from that moment on, nothing goes according to plan. Before they know what’s happened, Stevie and Amber seem to have acquired a roommate, and one who’s managed to damage their house and take over their lives in unexpected ways. They can’t get her to leave, they can’t get her to tell them much about her past, and they can’t get her to tell them why she insists on staying put. They try gently suggesting to her that the house isn’t big enough for all of them. They try lying about renovations they’re about to do – which only ends up with the aforementioned damage. They even try taking her to a local retirement community in the hopes that she’ll decide to move there. She doesn’t.
But it turns out that there are going to be a lot of unexpected revelations about Dorothy, and that her very presence is going to change all of their lives in completely surprising and wonderful ways. There are other interesting characters as well, and getting to know all of them is a joy. I loved everything about this book. I loved how each character is changed by the events sparked by Dorothy’s refusal to move. I loved seeing them all find something they needed as the story unfolded. I loved the surprises and celebrations. I loved the feeling of family that develops. The book never slowed down, never lost me, and I didn’t want to stop reading until I was done. This is a delightful warm hug of a book, and I know I’ll come back to it again and again.
The funny, wise and brilliant new novel from the star of QI and the author of Between the Stops
After much searching, the happily married young couple, Amber and Stevie think they have found the perfect spot in Grimaldi Square. Despite the rundown pub across the way, the overgrown garden and a decidedly nosy neighbour, number 4 is the house of their dreams. Stevie, a woman who has never left anything to chance, has planned everything so nothing can spoil their happiness. But … upstairs in their new home, seated on an old red sofa is the woman they bought the place from – eighty-year-old foul-mouthed, straight-talking, wise-cracking Dorothy – who has decided that she’s not going anywhere. It turns out that Dorothy will be only the first in a line of life-changing surprises.
Friends of Dorothy is a touching, funny novel about a family that is not biological, but logical; a story close to Sandi Toksvig’s heart. – Goodreads
Book Title: Friends of Dorothy
Author: Sandi Toksvig
Series: No
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: Virago
Released: September 26, 2024
Genre: Fiction, LGBTQ+, Found Family, Intergenerational, Humour
Pages: 320
Date Read: February 6-7, 2025
Rating: 10/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.02/5 (1,129 ratings)