The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page Book Review

Welcome to my review of The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page. I loved this book, its a real feel-good read that you will fall in love with, especially some of the characters.

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She can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her…

When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B – a shrewd and tricksy woman in her nineties – she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share.

Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell?

After studying history at university, I moved to London to work in advertising. However, in my spare time I studied floristry at night school and eventually opened my own flower shop. I soon came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and eventually I began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, I continued my interest in writing when I founded my fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In my debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, I combine my love of history and writing with my abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. I now live in Dorset. My eldest daughter, Alex, is studying to be a doctor and my youngest daughter is the author, Libby Page.

I chose The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page as I was initially attracted to the cover, I read the blurb, and it sounded like a great book.

Janice is a cleaner who collects stories. However, she doesn’t know her worth. She doesn’t think she has her own story until she meets Mrs B. She finally learns her value and her own story and can choose to create her own story as she wishes.

While Janice silently cleans people’s houses, she learns more about them, picks up stories, and makes up the bits she doesn’t know. This is a distraction from the pain of her own life. She is married, but he is a “man of a thousand jobs”, having never stayed in one role for more than a year since they met, and she is tired of his dull and tedious ways.

The characters are well rounded and developed. Janice is so lovely but has a devastating past that controls her, along with her waste of space husband. Euan is a bus driver who looks like a geography teacher; he is kind and caring and likes Janice. Adam, a twelve-year-old who has recently lost his dad to suicide, is heart-breaking, his pain is evident, and he needs to lash out and then learn to live his best life.

Mrs B is my favourite character; she is a grumpy, old and wise ex-spy who doesn’t initially want a cleaner but soon becomes firm friends with Janice. Her detestable son, Mr Nonono is horrid, and his wife, Mrs yesyesyes, is very annoying and no better than him. However, their dog, the cursing fox terrier, Decius, is brilliant. I love how Janice reads his expressions and thoughts.

The ending of the book was beautiful. I enjoyed how things came together; enough was left to the imagination while most things were cleared up.

This poignant read gave all the emotions, from happy delight to the most profound sadness, to the characters. It’s a feel-good read with an exciting plot and excellent writing style, even better for a debut novel. Again, Sally Page has delivered an outstanding read.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Title	The Keeper of Stories
Author	Sally page
Series	N/A
Format	eARC
Page Count	326 Pages
Genre	Humorous Fiction
Publisher	One More Chapter
Release Date	28th February 2022