First Published: September 30, 2010
The book opens in the salon of a hairdresser, Katie Finglas. It has been a hard day, and to finish with, she receives two visits. One is from a priest, Father Brian, who is replacing a colleague in a hospital, and he wants Katie to come and do the hair of Stella, who has a terminal disease. The second visit is from Josie Lynch, who asks about having her hair done cheaply, and Katie tells her that she has a day when a trainee hairdresser can do it for next to nothing.
The novel then focuses on Josie, who is married to Chales, and they have an only son, Noel. They are very religious, and they have been saving to send the child to the seminary. However, Noel doesn't want to be a priest. Noel leaves the school, and starts working in the office of a factory. He also enjoys visiting the pub, and he drinks more than he should. His boss even catches him with a bottle during working hours.
The reason why Josie wanted to have her hair done is that Charles's niece is coming all the way from America to visit them. Emily, the cousin, soon becomes a lifesaver for the whole family. The same day she arrives, Charles is made redundant because the hotel where he works wants younger people. At first, Charles is afraid to tell, but thanks to Emily, he starts talking, and then he realises that he would like to do something. He loves dogs, so with the encouragement of Emily, he plans to have his own business walking dogs. His wife has decided to cut her hours in the biscuits factory where she works, and she has the idea that with the money they have saved for years, they can have a statue of the saint their neighbourhood is named after, and they can also have a thrift shop to make money for the cause.
Seeing his parents so intent in changing their lives, Noel decides to stop drinking, and Emily notices because her father was an alcoholic. Noel refuses to go to AA, thinking that he can do it on his own. However, something happens. Stella, the woman Father Brian told Katie wanted to have her hair done, summons him. Stella tells him that she is expecting a baby and he is the father. As she is dying, she wants him to look after the baby after she is gone. Noel says he doesn't remember sleeping with her, and he runs away and gets drunk.
When Emily hears what has happened, she is angry and disappointed in Noel. Then a few days later Noel realises that he needs to change his life. So he goes to tell Stella that he will look after Frankie, his baby girl. Emily helps him find a place of his own, and he starts going to AA and enrols in college.
Another character that is central in the story is Lisa, Katie's sister. Lisa lives with her parents, who don't care about her. Lisa is a graphic designer and meets Anton, an attractive chef who is about to open his own restaurant. After meeting him, she falls for him and starts thinking about working for herself. Anton wants her to design his logo, and they start a relationship. Lisa leaves his job and decides to work from home. And then she realises that Anton is not into her as much as she is, and he even tells her that they have no commitment.
Lisa has started going to college as well, and that is how she meets Noel. Stella gives birth to Frankie and dies twenty minutes later, and although he is very scared, Noel takes the girl home and does everything for her. However, Moira, the social worker, believes that this can't work and she keeps watching him because she thinks Frankie would be better in care. Noel has a big support from relatives and friends, and Moira thinks this is awkward.
Once Lisa returns home early and discovers that her father has a secret life and invites prostitutes home. So she feels she can't stay there any longer and goes to find Noel, who lets her stay in his flat. Emily takes things on her own hands, and she tells Lisa that she can stay in Noel's guest room for as long as she wants. This is an arrangement that Moira feels odd, and she is convinced that one day she will catch Noel in a bad turn, and then she will make sure that the baby is removed from his custody.
I like Ms Binchy's novels. They are easy to read and I like the community sense that she transfers to her characters.
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