The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

Dear Book Barmy Blog, I’ve been neglecting you and a very poor blogger these days. It’s not that I haven’t been reading – I have, but I just haven’t gotten around to updating my reads here. My apologies, you are one of my favorite things, and I pledge to do better.

A good friend recommended this British novel, saying she really enjoyed it and it was a nice escape from everything going on now. She knows me pretty well, so I quickly requested it from the library (only available as a printed book which was a nice break from my Kindle reading — ahhh, printed books.)

The novel introduces Janice, who is an exceptional cleaner, and also a collector of stories which she gathers wherever she goes, riding the bus, going to the laundromat, and especially the people she works for. In the gathering of these stories, Janice has developed a unique insight into the community around her.

She can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her…

The novel then moves to her group of clients, and what a wonderful group of characters. There’s Geordie, an opera singer, grieving Fiona and her son Adam, Mrs. YeahYeahYeah, and her husband Mr. NoNoNotNow whose off-putting qualities are redeemed by their smart-ass fox terrier Dacius. Janice delights in taking Dacius on long walks – one of her only escapes – Dacius is a character in his own right, with snarky opinions and a very foul mouth – yes, a dog who cusses.

Through Mr NoNoNotNow (otherwise known as Tiberius, I kid you not) Janice starts cleaning for his 90- year-old mother, Mrs. B, a shrewd and tricky woman. who happens to quite simply marvelous. While Janice cleans for Mrs B – – Mrs. B relates an ongoing story of a character named ‘Becky’, telling the story in bits and pieces each visit (the story is a clear adaptation of Vanity Fair). Mrs. B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell? But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share — yet.

Janice is suffering from a no-good husband who flits from job to job, and finally admitted to using all their savings on a cleaning product pyramid scheme. This is final excuse Janice needs to pack up and leave him.

She wants to ask if he’s having an affair but doesn’t know how to say it without sounding hopeful.

Once Janice finally leaves her husband, Geordie lets her live in his house while he’s away and Mrs. B finally gets her to open up, which results in Janice having a major breakdown – which was powerfully written and had me holding my breath. Mrs. B comforts her with soup, a bed for the night, and more stories of Becky. There’s a sweet romance for Janice and I found myself rooting for her happy ending.

I did quite of bit of note taking, here are some of my favorite quotes:

‘Those people, the quiet people, seem to have more important things to say.’

‘She wonders if the story of life is a tragic comedy or a comic tragedy.’

From Mrs. B when putting her affairs in order – ‘should I fall from my perch’.

The Keeper of Stories was a slow burn, and sometimes the stories dragged a bit, especially Mrs. B’s tales of Becky, but in the end, this was just the life-affirming, hopeful fiction I needed. It restored my faith in human nature even with all its flaws and inconsistencies. (Thanks for the recommendation NS.)

N.B. Upon finishing this book, I decided that I finally need to read Vanity Fair, and there are references to the ultimate story within a story — Arabian Nights.

I read bits and bobs of my grandfather’s editions as a teen. I have his set and cracked one open the other night, and was easily taken in by the clever Scheherazade who, as a new bride to the vengeful King Shahryar, tells him captivating tales each night, leaving them unfinished to delay her execution. I will definitely will be dipping into this again.