Forever Home by Graham Norton

 

Carol Crottie and Declan Barry have lived together for ten years. Marriage was never on the cards. They’d both been married previously. Carol was divorced but Declan’s wife had walked out on the family years previously so technically he was still married. When Declan is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s his grown children throw Carol out of their father’s house and prevent her from having any say in his care. Declan had made Carol promise that the house would never be sold so when she discovers it is on the market she has to act fast and this leads to a shocking discovery.

I absolutely loved this book, simply couldn’t put it down. The opening pages reminded me very much of the opening of an old film where the scene is set by panning slowly across a landscape before gradually focusing on one particular point. Graham Norton does exactly the same as we move through the small Irish town of Ballytoor, arriving at Stable Row and focusing on number seven.

We’re then introduced to Carol and her confrontation with Declan’s grown children, Sally and Killian. I was immediately filled with anger and sadness as it became clear that Carol was being thrown out of her home. We slowly discover that Carol and Declan had never married and Declan had never made a will so she had no rights to remain in the house. It was very clear that there was animosity between Carol, Sally and Killian.

As we slowly learn about Declan’s decline with Alzheimer’s and Carol’s determination to keep him at home for as long as possible we build a better picture of the dysfunctional family.

With nowhere else to turn Carol has to move back in with her parents. This really hit home that no matter how old you are your parents will always be worried about you. Dave Crottie tries to remain in the background letting his wife deal with the emotional stuff. Moira Crottie is a force to be reckoned with. Despite being eighty she seems to have boundless energy and the fierceness and cunning of a lioness protecting her young.

When Carol’s parents buy the house on Stable Row for her they make a startling discovery. Carol begins to question if she truly knew the man she had lived with. Things become even more involved when a stranger from the past suddenly appears.

The last quarter of the book contains some very black humour, most of it instigated by Moira, proving how strong-willed she is. We also see how Carol reverts to being almost child-like and never questions her mothers decisions.

Forever Home by Graham Norton will be published on 29^th September 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.