We then meet Daniel as an adult, wandering and broken. Then Eve and Daniel leave and all the colours seem to bleach out of the world. That summer is the happiest Eve and Daniel have ever had, as they are enveloped by this wild, eccentric and loud family – Eve uses the word rambunctious to describe them. Sherry is delighted and immediately welcomes the wandering pair into her home. She goes to a specialist off-licence to find just the right bottle of sherry as a witty present to take to her new neighbour. Eve isn’t used to making friends because she and Daniel move around a lot, but for some reason Eve feels compelled to make an effort. Eve, and her six year old son Daniel, move in next door to Leslie and Sherry who have two daughters Rae and Pauline, and some ornamental flamingoes on their front lawn. In split time frames, narrated mainly by Eve and Daniel we hear the story of two families who once lived next door to each other. I knew, just a few pages in, that it was going to be a joy to read. I don’t know if I can find the right words to express how much I loved this book and why. That’s what happened with Flamingo, the latest novel from Rachel Elliot and it really is a gem. When we leave ourselves some gaps in the TBR to have a breathing space, browse and pick up what we fancy we can find unexpected gems. Every year we list our favourites, then we list the books we most anticipate for the following year and to an extent that can dictate what we read.
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