A Keeper: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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This is a hugely compelling family drama, of mothers whose children are everything, and of the darkness, heartbreak, intrigue, mental health issues and secrets that bubble within the facade of families, past and present. I've read a previous book by Graham Norton, - 'Holding' - and enjoyed it, which is why I wanted to pick this one up too.

Alternating masterfully between “Now” and “Then,” from Convent Hill in the town of Buncarragh just outside Kilkenny, Ireland to the remote Castle House by the sea near West Cork, Graham Norton spins the tale of Patricia Keane and her daughter Elizabeth. Everything that happens to Elizabeth deepens her understanding of motherhood even though her life is turned upside down. In the present, Elizabeth is faced with more unexpected shattering shocks regarding Zach that are to lead to life changing moves in her future. I enjoyed both eras of this story, journeying along with Elizabeth while she balanced uncovering her family history with a family drama in the present. I don't like to do that with NetGalley reads though, so I may have to rethink on that in the future.When it comes to relationships, there is not much in the way of cheering fare, with disappointment, intrigue, darkness, and stoicism from two different eras. I really wanted to like this, and I'm not saying it's a bad book, but I was hoping for so much more than "eh, it's okay" from it. In this narrative that goes back and forth in time, Patricia's life is slowly revealed as to how she ended up being a confirmed spinster and life long devoted single mother to her beloved daughter, Elizabeth. Growing up in a small town and without a father, Elizabeth longed to get away and now as a single mother herself to a teenage son she is none too pleased to be reunited with her judgmental extended family as she plans to clear the house for sale. I never watch talk shows, however I know who Mr Norton is, and I admit I was intrigued by the fact that he has accomplished two novels, both receiving many positive reviews.

Graham Norton has fast become my go-to author when I’m in need of a guaranteed good read or a reading reset. Graham was soon approached by the BBC to front his own self-titled chat show The Graham Norton Show in 2007. While it took Margaret Mitchell 10 years to compose 'Gone With the Wind', and 12 years for Victor Hugo to finish 'Les Miserables', Graham Norton appears to have thrown this together over the course of a rainy Saturday afternoon and published it the following Monday without any further thought or attention. IRISH INDEPENDENT 'It's a sad and lovely book, brimful of tenderness and compassion, where the revelations of the past upturn the perceptions of the present.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.