From the prize-winning author of Reasons to be Cheerful comes a story about the ebb and flow of
female friendship over half a lifetime 'A true gift of a novel I utterly adored it. For as
long as I could make it last the world just felt a bit nicer' Meg Mason 'Stibbe turns out more
perfect sharp unique sentences than anyone else' Caitlin Moran 'Stibbe has an extraordinary
gift' Marian Keyes 'Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy but that's just because she's very
very good at it' Clare Chambers ________________________________________________ Susan and
Norma have been best friends for years at first thrust together by force of circumstance (a
job at The Pin Cushion a haberdashery shop in 1990s Leicestershire) and then by force of
character (neither being particularly inclined to make friends with anyone else). But now
thirty years later faced with a husband seeking immortality and Norma out of reach on a wave
of professional glory Susan begins to wonder whether she has made the right choices about life
love work and most importantly friendship. Nina Stibbe's new novel is the story of the
wonderful and sometimes surprising path of friendship: from its conspiratorial beginnings
along its irritating wrong turns to its final gratifying destination.
_________________________________________________ 'Nina Stibbe's very funny novels are full of
charm and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life' Evening
Standard 'I absolutely loved every single page of it! I honestly think it's the funniest thing
she's ever written' Garth Jennings 'I'm not surprised to see that Stibbe's writing has been
compared to Jane Austen's' Emma Healey 'I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book'
Observer 'Stibbe is one of the all-time greats' Daisy Buchanan 'Clever and funny it takes a
sharp look at the intricacies of marriage friendship work and driving. As with all Stibbe's
writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'Nina
Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming' Jenny Colgan 'For beautifully
funny and well-observed comic writing Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release
a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma she explores the mistakes rivalries and
love we all experience in life' Stylist 'One of the great comic writers of our time' Irish
Times
