This is a perfectly delightful book about a group of people living in Edinburgh in the early 2000s. The nucleus of the group lives at 44 Scotland Street- Pat, a young woman in her second gap year working in a gallery; Bruce her narcissistic neighbor; Domenica, a widow with a fascinating past and many opinions about the present; and 5 year old saxophone playing, Italian speaking Bertie and his family. Smith wrote this book as a serial in the newspaper, just like Dickens- and his many characters and their interconnected lives harken back to the master of the character driven propulsive novel- with a modern twist. This book was at once cozy and comforting, funny and thought provoking- the perfect book to read before a trip to Edinburgh.