Every now and then you come across a book that really tears at your heart strings. This in one of them. Sloane and Ava are both broken women. They are each holding onto enormous emotional baggage that is shaping their current lives. Sloane is in mourning after the tragic death of her wife and takes a one year working hiatus to Australia in an attempt to get some light and sound back in her life. She is raw and can see no colour in her life without her wife by her side. Ava is fighting her own sense of grief and guilt over a past relationship that caused her to return home and give up on the career she dreamed about. A chance encounter between Sloane and Ava does nothing to alleviate the helplessness each feels.

As luck would have it, Sloane and Ava are reunited when Sloane arrives at her accommodation and finds it is owned by none other than Ava’s mother. The two now become unwilling neighbours. Soon a friendship develops with the help of Grace, Ava’s 4 year old daughter, who soon attaches herself to Sloane.

In this book, Arncliffe has captured the sense of grief and despair that Sloane feels in a beautiful way. The analogy of light and colour is perfect. Sloane has only been able to see in greys since her wife died. There is no hope, no joy, only grey. Arncliffe’s skill in developing Sloane’s character is exceptional. As a reader, you can feel her pain on a personal level and understand why she physically punishes her body in order to feel something other than nothingness.

The supporting characters, Ellen, Mo and Leota, and of course Charlie and Hope, all play a role in helping Sloane find her light again. And, it is with tentative hope and joy that we see Sloane slowly, with Ava and Grace’s help, regain that colour in her life.