Sipsworth

"Beautiful and enchanting"-Washington Post

Sometimes a second chance comes in the most unexpected way....

Following the loss of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss. She retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit: "Each day was an impersonation of the one before with only a slight shuffle--as though even for death there is a queue."

Then, one cold winter night, a chance encounter with a mouse sets Helen on a surprising journey. Over the course of two weeks in a small English town, this reclusive widow discovers an unexpected reason to live.

Sipsworth is a reminder that there is always reason for hope. No matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes life has plans of its own. With profound compassion, Simon Van Booy illuminates not only a deep friendship forged between two lonely creatures, but the reverberations of goodness that ripple out from that unique bond.

Author: Simon Van Booy
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
Published: 05/07/2024
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781567927948


Award: 2025 ALA Notable Books Winner - Fiction


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2024
Publishers Weekly 03/18/2024
Foreword 04/25/2024
Shelf Awareness 05/10/2024

About the Author
Van Booy, Simon: -

Simon Van Booy is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children, including The Secret Lives of People in Love and Sipsworth. He is the anthologist of three volumes of philosophy and has written for The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, and the BBC. His books have been translated into many languages and optioned for film. Raised in rural North Wales, he currently lives in New York where he is also a book editor and a volunteer E.M.T. crew chief.