Three Things About Elsie

Our February book club pick is the new novel from Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble With Goats and Sheep, a Sunday Times bestselling debut. 

There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she’s my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing... might take a little bit more explaining.

Florence Claybourne is 84. She has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly, and lies on a wipe-clean carpet, waiting to be rescued. As she begins to tell her story, we find out Florence has a secret, a secret she promised herself she would keep forever. And she is worried her forever might be now.

Set against a background of befuddlement, Battenberg and beige, Three Things About Elsie is a hilarious and heart-breaking novel exploring memory, friendship and old age. Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.

Joanna Cannon left school at 15 with one O-level and worked her way through many different jobs - barmaid, kennel maid, pizza delivery expert – before returning to school in her 30s and qualifying as a doctor in her 40s. Her work as a psychiatrist and interest in people on the fringes of society continue to inspire her writing, and Joanna currently volunteers for Arts for Health, an organisation bringing creative arts to NHS staff and patients. She lives in the Peak District.

Three Things About Elsie is published by Borough Press and is available online and from all good booksellers. If you're lucky enough to receive a free copy, we'll need you to add your questions and comments for Joanna to the thread (coming soon!) by the end of February.

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