Every Shade Of Happy by Phyllida Shrimpton

 

Every Shade of Happy by Phyllida Shrimpton.

Published 18th August 2022 by Aria, Hed of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Algernon is at the end of his life.

His granddaughter is at the start of hers.

But they have more in common than they think...

Every day of Algernon's 97 years has been broken up into an ordered routine. That's how it's been since the war, and he's not about to change now. Until his 15-year-old granddaughter arrives on his doorstep, turning Algernon's black-and-white life upside down. 

Everything from Anna's clothes to the way she sits glued to her phone is strange to Algernon, and he's not sure he likes it. But as the weeks pass, Algernon is surprised to discover they have something in common after all–Anna is lonely, just like him. 

Can Algernon change the habits of a lifetime to bring the colour back into Anna's world?

***********

When single mother Helene's relationship comes to a very unexpected end, she has no choice but to move back into her widowed father Algernon's tiny Essex house with her fifteen-year-old daughter Anna in tow. Helene and Algernon have always had a difficult relationship, and he did not handle the news well when she fell pregnant after a one night stand, so this is not going to be easy for anyone concerned.

At ninety-seven-years-old Algernon is used to an orderly life. He is not at all happy about the routine he has settled into since his wife Evie's death being interrupted by the return of his daughter and the child he has never allowed himself to meet. He does not know what to make of colourful Anna and her modern ways. Anna, in her turn, is dismayed by the crusty old man who seems to radiate nothing, but disapproval for her. Missing her old home, school and friends, she finds herself feeling more and more isolated. 

But as time goes by, Algernon begins to realise that he has something in common with his granddaughter that makes him reflect on the direction his own life has taken - loneliness. Can he find the courage to break out of the rut he has allowed himself to sink into and help Anna regain her spark?

Where do I even begin with this magical story? Told in alternating narratives from Algernon and Anna, this beautiful book is one that works its way right into your heart. I absolutely loved the way that Phyllida Shrimpton manages to write convincingly about both a crotchety old man at the end of his unfulfilled life and a fragile, sensitive young girl with her life ahead of her, gradually breaking down the barriers between them as they get to know each other and find common ground. Their characters develop ever so slowly over the course of the story, opening up to show you their thoughts, hopes, regrets, and heartache, and their little amusing asides serve to lighten the book in a way that stops it all becoming overwhelmingly sad. There are so many deeply touching and heart-warming moments in this book that I found myself crying on and off almost throughout the whole story - building up to pretty much constant sobbing for the final third of the novel. 

The story transforms so wonderfully as we learn about the memories and regrets Algernon has kept hidden, even from his own daughter, and realises that the way he has lived his life is not what he wants for Anna. His acknowledgment that his own behaviour has meant him losing out on so much is so poignant, and his message that you must look forward, not back, comes across so well in the way Shrimpton weaves his story with both Anna's and Helene's. I could spend all day waxing lyrical about the enchanting way in which all the threads come together in such a superb mix of heart and humour, but I would much rather you read it for yourself, because it is worth every moment. The supporting cast is small, but perfectly formed too - I challenge you not to be charmed by Cat, Jacob and Gary and the way they help everything along nicely.

I completely adored this book. As a first stab at writing for an adult audience Shrimpton has created something truly marvellous to behold, and I cannot wait to read more from her. This really is something very special. 

Every Shade of Happy is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Aria for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and a for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.

About the author:

Phyllida Shrimpton is a full time UK author who first wanted to write a novel after having a vivid dream at the age of 15 which she thought might make a good plot for a book. Finally in 2015 she finally stopped procrastinating about it and turned this dream into the plot for a YA novel, Sunflowers in February, published in 2018. This novel won the Red Book Award in Falkirk, Scotland and was shortlisted for the Centurion Book Awards for Bath and North East Somerset schools. The Colour of Shadows was published in 2019 and was shortlisted for the Amazing Book Awards.

Deciding to make the move to writing adult novels, Phyllida’s latest novel Every Shade of Happy will be published in August 2022 by Aria Fiction.

Phyllida’s books are centred around uplifting fiction and with the firm belief that there are two sides to every story.