The war is over and the Grant family has ended up on harder times. The father can no longer work and June (the unmarried daughter) starts working as one of the girls in the steno pool at a well known advertising firm; head down and take notes...
Not the easiest, when she really wants to be is a writer in her own right; but that is not what is expected by her family, or society for that matter - and they need the income!

Her older sister, Daisy, is married with two children and seems to have it all - at least according to the expectations at the time.

I liked how this story is based on the true story of Collier's aunt, and how she managed to create a, for her, more fulfilling life than what marriage and children would have offered. We all want/ need different things and there is no life that would fit everyone.

Apart from some slightly jarring inconsistencies in POVs, Deryn Collier's is a refreshing new voice (to me) in contemporary storytelling. SO much better than many of the novels I've read in the last twenty years.

Set in 1947, in Montreal, her story is supposedly based on, or inspired by, a real figure. Collier captures the essence of the period well, although I have no way of knowing how historically accurate her depiction of life in 1940s Montreal is. Her characterization is generally good. The reader gets to see the inner life of June Grant, the novel's main protagonist, another rare thing these days, when many writers seem to churn out wooden characters with little emotion, that never allow the reader to really get to know them. Arguably, some of the other characters, such as her mother, sister Daisy, or friend and colleague, Abbie, could have been a little more 'rounded', but that may just be me.

A highly enjoyably read. Thank you to the author for restoring my faith in 21st century fiction-writing and many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.