ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – An Unlikely Visitor by Joanna Cannon

An Unlikely Visitor by Joanna Cannon will be published by Borough Press on 4th June. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.

MARGARET THINKS HER TIME IS UP… BUT MAYBE HER TIME IS NOW?

Things have been hard since her husband Derek died, and they never really got over the disappearance of their daughter, Jeanie, all those years ago.

Despite everything, they built a lovely life together… it’s just starting to feel impossible for Margaret on her own.

Then one day, Margaret returns home to an unlikely visi­tor, and together they set out to discover what really hap­pened to Jeanie.

Perhaps if you knock on enough doors, you might find another end to your story…

Margaret Ford is simply going through the motions since the death of her beloved husband, Derek, and as a couple they spent 40 years in much the same state after their 11 year old daughter, Jeanie, went missing. Margaret is lonely, wondering what her life can be now she’s all alone, when she comes home to the Unlikely Visitor of the title. I’m not going to spoil for you who that visitor is and I hope nobody else does, because it leads to a most exquisite cascade of events and meetings that will hopefully help Margaret to work out a few things, not least of which is what actually happened to Jeanie.

Having read Joanna Cannon’s books before, I know that she excels at this kind of story, one of what it means to be human, taking a tale that is riddled with despair and weaving it into a touching and emotional one. I loved every bit of An Unlikely Visitor, which follows Margaret now and also takes us back to the events surrounding Jeanie’s disappearance, the two strands entwining to create a novel that is plotted to perfection.

The characterisations are just wonderful. I had this image in my mind of Margaret scurrying around, gathering information, with the presence of her visitor creating some amusing scenes. It’s not only Margaret who stands out though, every single character jumps off the page and each one feels 100% real.

Although the book has its sadnesses, it also feels really uplifting and hopeful and it was an absolute joy to read. It went in a direction I couldn’t have guessed at and in different hands it might not have worked, but Cannon manages to get the balance just right, making this a beautiful, comforting and poignant exploration of loss, grief, love, family and connections. I adored it.

Joanna Cannon graduated from Leicester Medical School and worked as a hospital doctor, before specialising in psychiatry. Her novels, The Trouble With Goats and Sheep and Three Things About Elsie, were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. Her novel, A Tidy Ending, was published in April 2022 and her new novel, An Unlikely Visitor will be published in June 2026. She lives in the Peak District with her dog, Lewis.