For several months Marnie, a middle-aged poet and mother, has experienced sightings of her long-dead identical twin sister, Perdita, across London. As a consequence, and due to her crippling writer's block, she has sought the help of octogenarian Harley Street shrink, Schlap, to work through her problems. Not least her repeated dreams of being a man.
Schlap has problems of his own though, having recently suffered a silent stroke which has affected his memory. Or is he more aware of reality than Marnie herself?
Marnie's long-suffering partner and their three teenage kids are not helping matters, either. Neither is Marnie's bohemian Alpha-course attending mum, her diabetic chef dad, nor the inquisitive family dog. Perhaps Marnie's encounter and blossoming friendship with a woman who she thinks is the living embodiment of long-dead author Katherine Mansfield will provide the key to unlock her mind.Will Marnie's writing be liberated from its prison? Is she losing her mind? Will the price she has to pay be bigger than the sum of its parts? And does the previous sentence even make sense? All will be revealed...
A really entertaining, funny, heartfelt read. I loved every bonkers minute - Sophie Ward
It is magical, nostalgic, current, imaginative, tragic and very funny. I devoured it in two sittings. I saw nothing coming and was surprised and thrilled by the outcome - Maureen Lipman