Wow! I knew I'd enjoy a book that Sandi Toksvig wrote: every TV appearance I've ever seen of hers assured me of that, but I had no idea what to expect from a novel from her. And… I'm so glad I read it. There is a part of me that wishes I could visit the places she's written about and meet the characters she's brought to life through this book's pages. As somebody who cut off a family member (eventually) after coming out, I appreciated how

one character's family and their relationships with their lesbian daughter

were handled: neither sugar-coating them, nor building them up to be an ever-present source of conflict. In short, she handled them realistically.

In fact, I have some sadness at finishing this book: I don't want to let the characters go. But this definitely feels like Toksvig has told their story and there isn't a jumping-off point for a series (not that I expect she has enough time to write one, given how busy a woman she is), and I'm glad to have "met" them, even if only for the length of a book.