A Place to Call Home by Carole Matthews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have never been disappointed by a Carole Matthews book and I am delighted to say that this one ticks all the boxes too.
Carole writes with refreshing honesty about all sorts of subjects, love but also familial relationships and all array of matter surrounding love and relationships. This book starts off a little darker than previous novels with Ayesha sneaking her small daughter out of the house she shares with her husband and parents in law; for Ayesha her marriage, arranged by her loving parents who still live in Sri Lanka, was supposed to be one of mutual trust and a growth of love and support but that’s not what Ayesha got from her abusive husband. Cut off from an outside life, virtual prisoner in her own home, kept watch over by her in laws and regularly abused by her husband Suresh, Ayesha has plotted and planned this escape for months.
Making her way in the middle of the night from Milton Keynes to London to an address supplied by a charity Ayesha hopes, finally, that she can start a new life. In a twist of fate Ayesha is told that there are no places for her and her small mute daughter but pulling some strings the woman in the refuge finds her a temporary place to stay and thus Ayesha and Sabina find themselves living in a large Hampstead house with a motley crew of other lost and lonely people; Crystal is warm and friendly with a big heart and takes Ayesha and Sabina under her wing; Joy, an elderly lady whose character doesn’t quite live up to her name and the owner of the house Hayden, a one-time musician who has lost his way in life.
With Ayesha’s natural inclination to feed and love she repays the kindness she receives with her Indian cooking and understanding and the whole house finds themselves becoming what can only be described as an unconventional but functioning family and that new and happy beginnings can happen.
There are wonderful characters through who Carole displays a sympathetic understanding of the issues of arranged marriages, domestic abuse and love, lost and found. The voice of Ayesha is entirely believable and Crystal is a fantastic, warm hearted lady, always willing to help despite her own troubles. Joy is a...joy as the elderly lady who finds it difficult to open up and accept love as well as give it for fear of losing it and Hayden, a man afraid to give his heart again but thanks to Ayesha, slowly finds a way out of his depression.
In two words, this novel is
Simply Sublime.


With thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC of this book.