Rachel Joyce: Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North (September 2026)

This novella is a follow up from The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Maureen’s husband, in which he walks from Devon to Northumberland to hand deliver a letter to his dying friend Queenie Hennessy. In its companion piece, The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy, she tells of her love for Harold and her attempt to support troubled David, Harold and Maureen’s only son who committed suicide in his early twenties. She bought a ramshackle beach house in Embleton Bay and created a garden in the dunes out of driftwood and rocks representing her life and people she cared for.

This has become a tourist attraction and place of contemplation where visitors leave their own mementos.

We avoid books that are part of a series but, unusually, the normally efficient Central Library sent us the wrong Rachel Joyce on our choices list. The background was, however, quite well covered for readers unfamiliar with the first two books.

Maureen’s story takes place ten years after Harold’s epic walk when they receive a postcard from Kate, one of the many people who befriended Harold, which mentions that Queenie included a monument to David in her garden. This intrigues and disturbs Maureen who had felt jealous and resentful towards Queenie for her relationships with her husband and son, so she feels compelled to drive up and see it for herself.

Maureen has led an isolated life, even as a child she never fitted in, and lacks or has not learnt, any social skills, unlike Harold who is good with people and makes friends easily. She is prickly and gauche to the point of rudeness but on her journey she starts to learn to accept help from strangers and exchanges affectionate calls and messages from Harold and their neighbour, Reg.

We learn more about her life and the depth of her grief for David. She describes his suicide as the rock against which she is forever shattered and the book asks” how can we accept the unacceptable? ”

After a bad fall at Queenie’s garden, Maureen has no choice but to return to stay with Kate. Her first visit on the way did not go well.

She is given rest and support and the chance to bond with Kate’s granddaughter which touches her and breaks down her armour sufficiently to enable her to start to reconcile her loss.

This book explores bereavement and how especially difficult it can be for someone with whom it is hard to sympathise. Maureen has had no friends to turn to before. Thankfully, Maureen and Harold’s marriage survived as many do not.

We liked Rachel Joyce’s writing and we have a copy of the actual book we ordered, Miss Benson’s Beetle, which we are passing around.

4/5