The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper: AKA A Widower's Journey Into His Wife's Past
Love, love, love Arthur Pepper. Phaedra Patrick's debut is a story that's making its way to my keeper shelf, and it charmed me for many reasons. I'm going to start with the setting. York was home to my dad's god daughter, it's a city I've been to many times, but it was mention of Bridlington (where many members of my family live) and even talk of Sir Alan Ayckbourn, a playwright/director who I learned of as a child when my uncle wrote a play that ended up on stage at the Scarborough in the Round festival that Sir Alan Ayckbourn was part of. As a result, the setting and some references ended up feeling very real to me. After four decades of marriage, the death of his wife has left Arthur Pepper reeling. Even one year later, he's maintaining the same routine as they did as a couple, but he's alone. He's hiding from a neighborhood woman, getting up at the exact same hour, and having little interaction with his neighbors and children. When he dec