Please share the opening lines of this book
‘At a funeral, Jason,’ I said, laughing bitterly and shaking my head. ‘At your own aunt’s funeral. Just when I thought I couldn’t be any more appalled. You’re so obviously beyond help and hope.’
I held the front door open and he exited without argument, before stopping on the top step, making no attempt either to walk away, or to come back inside. ‘I can’t explain, Edie,’ he said quietly, his head bowed. ‘It’s a—’
I held up a hand. ‘Well, you’re in luck, because I don’t want an explanation. I just want you to go.’ With that, I closed the front door and returned to the living room.
Fun fact about the main characters in this book.
Edie Whitmore is a woman who is in love with her job and happy with her lot. But when new guy, CameronGrange, arrives in the office and ruins not only her work life, but then her social life too, the battle lines are drawn.
In five words, describe the story..
Friends and enemies in disguise.
Can you share your favorite the excerpt in this book?
Ooh…that’s tricky, because the part of the book which immediately springs to mind is Chapter 12 – June’s wine and cheese party – but that contains rather a lot of spoilers! But a part I also love, which doesn’t give anything away, is Edie’s encounter with her 5 year-old neighbour, Harry, and his mother, Kerry, when Edie is feeling at her most low and most desperate. So, here’s a tiny snippet of that:
Opening Kerry’s gate, I walked slowly up the path, as she and Harry stood back to let me inside.
‘Let me take your coat,’ she said, pushing the door closed behind me. ‘It’s soaked.’
‘I’ve been outside most of the day.’
‘Why didn’t you put your hood up?’ asked Harry.
I put a hand up to my dripping hair. He had a point. ‘I must have forgotten to put it up when I got off the bus.’
‘You look really sad,’ he said. ‘Have you broken something? Are you in trouble? Did you get told off?’
‘That’s enough questions, Harry,’ said Kerry gently.
‘Have you fallen over? Did you spill red paint on the carpet?’
Kerry’s eyes narrowed and she turned towards him. ‘Have you spilled red paint on the carpet?’
His mouth widened and turned down at the corners. ‘Yes,’ he said quietly, addressing his feet.
‘Where?’
‘In my room. But I cleaned it up.’
‘With what?’
‘Toilet paper and the cream you clean your face with. It made the paint go pink,’ he said, before adding in a murmur, ‘and big.’
Kerry’s eyes closed slowly.
‘I’ll let you clear up and come back another—’ I began.
She opened her eyes and placed a hand on my arm. ‘Hang on just a moment, Edie. How long has the paint been on the carpet, Harry?’ she asked.
‘I spilled the paint at quarter to…’ He paused to study a chunky blue plastic watch on his wrist and ran his finger thoughtfully around the dial. ‘…yesterday.’
Reader should read this book..
Because Working It Out has it all: betrayal, deception and drama, packaged with redemption, laughter and uplift
My Sanctuary 