What a fun read this is while at the same time dealing with numerous personal and social issues which ultimately prove very moving. I loved protagonist Franny Calderwood from the first page. She’s a marvellous character! At 65 and three years on, she’s still grieving the tragic death of her beloved Frank who was killed by a drug affected young driver. Franny has withdrawn from the rest of the world, unable to deal with the sympathy and attention of well-meaning family and friends. She’s a woman who calls a spade a spade and doesn’t suffer fools lightly especially if they have have the audacity to intrude on her carefully created reclusive cocoon. Her sharp, dry wit had me chuckling out loud. Life for Franny revolves around her dogs, Whisky and Soda, painting, gardening, music, books, solo outings to galleries, movies and restaurants, cooking gourmet meals for one and waiting impatiently for the clock to tick past 6pm so she can imbibe in her favourite tipple (or two) for the day. She believes she is living the best life she can without her soulmate. But all that changes alarmingly when a harassed single mother moves in next door with her sullen teenage daughter and a young son with his own unique character.