Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon

THREE THINGS ABOUT ELSIE by Joanna Cannon is truly a puzzling look inside the mind of an aging resident of Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly.  Flo and her good friend Elsie seem almost inseparable and Flo relies on Elsie to be that friend, to help maintain calm in times of stress and … what is that third thing? Yes, Flo is often forgetful, but she is convinced that a new resident is actually a sinister figure from the past. Readers will be uncertain as to how reliable a narrator Flo really is – just look at the beautiful cover where an older woman almost blends into the background. The story in THREE THINGS ABOUT ELSIE is disturbing at times due to a strong atmosphere of suspense, threat and danger where a surprising, manipulative character appears and where items (elephant statue, binoculars, etc.) move or go missing. It may not seem so unusual, but here’s the weird coincidence …  I went to the public library to borrow a print copy and while the catalog said it should be on shelf, no one could find it.  Kirkus gave THREE THINGS ABOUT ELSIE a starred review (“rich portrait of old age and friendship”) and it was longlisted for the British Women's Prize for Fiction. Cannon writes extremely well about people of all ages; her previous work is The Trouble with Goats and Sheep.