The Astonishing Return Of Norah Wells By Virginia MacGregor

[amazon_link id=”0751554200″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’The Astonishing Return Of Norah Wells’ is the latest book by Virginia MacGregor.

One ordinary morning, Norah walked out of her house on Willoughby Street and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she walked away from only to find another woman in her place. Fay held Norah’s family together after she disappeared, she shares a bed with Norah’s husband and Norah’s youngest daughter calls Fay ‘Mummy’. Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Where has she been? Why did she leave? And why is she back? As each member of the family tries to find the answers they each need, they must also face up to the most pressing question of all – what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back?

Even though ‘The Astonishing Return Of Norah Wells’ is only Virginia’s second book, she has become one of my favourite author after I fell in love with her debut novel, ‘What Milo Saw’.

Like her previous novel, this is seen through many perspectives, as the Wells family come to terms with the sudden reappearance of Norah, mother and wife who disappeared many years ago, asking not to be found.

As Norah returns to her family, she has to deal with her youngest daughter Willa, who thinks Norah is her long lost auntie, her elder sister Ella, an angry teenage girl, who can’t understand why her mother just left them after years of searching for her, Adam, her estranged husband has finally gotten his life in order with the help of Norah’s best friend Fay, his now girlfriend and who Willa calls ‘Mummy’

The story flows at a gentle pace and deals with many issues and dramas along the way, as the family deal with the upheaval in their lives and wonder why Norah has returned to them, likewise Norah has to deal with the realisation that she can’t just step into the Wells family and become mummy again as this title has been taken off her and given to someone who was there for the hard times and helps piece the family back together.

The inclusion of such an eclectic range of customers makes for bright and poignant reading. As we say the world through the innocent eyes of six year old Willa, who is confused by the strange woman in the house and why everyone is suddenly unhappy and on edge, she finds solace in the company of the old dog, Louis and the foxes at the bottom of the garden. Ella, thrives on anger, after years of thinking that her mother was kidnapped, she is tormented at the thought of her leaving willingly and can’t stand the sight of Norah, who is wanting to make amends. Norah, is a complex character, individual with a selfish streak, she seems naive to think that life hasn’t moved on since she left and she can’t just step back into the role of mother, especially as her best friend Fay, took that mantle and put her life on hold for the family she always dreamt off. I really liked with Fay, I thought she was a sweet and caring character, who tries to keep her act together even thought she feels her life is falling apart.

This book is a genuinely, heartwarming and insightful read about the complications of love and family. It’s beautifully written and tugs at the heartstrings and with the inclusion of adorable and relatable characters, ‘The Astonishing Return Of Norah Wells’ was a powerful and emotive book that was impossible to put down.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0751554200″ target=”_blank” ]The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.