I've given up pondering, and procrastinating, and will simply add that if you liked Mike Gayle's previous books, you will probably enjoy this one too! All in all, there are many enjoyable attributes to the book, and if you avoid using your inner critic too much, you'll certainly like it a lot more. I don’t know whether it’s since I lost my own father and became more aware of them but there seem to be more and more books exploring grief and the ordinary experiences of loss. There are also two relatively minor tracks that aren't elaborated upon until the final quarter of the book: the identity of Jess's father, and the mysterious reason the old owner of the museum Mr.

Much like Jess’ experience, there were many items that I didn’t want to dispose of but I couldn’t keep everything because of space. As Jess discovers in Mike Gayle’s compassionate and heartfelt writing, coming face to face with the minutae of our parent’s lives, little things, which have no value to anyone else but hold a lifetime of memories is just overwhelming. In places it’s sad but it’s also uplifting, it’s poignant, grief is put to a good purpose and it’s thought-provoking and a lot of it resonates. This story arc was definitely an interesting one and indeed, the chapters that talked about the museum — how it came about, the history behind some of the items, the backstories of the people who donated the items, etc. There’s a lot more to Jess’s journey, including the mystery of why Alex inherited the property, but that’s best left for others to discover as I did.Jess's lack of communication and openness with Guy was frustrating, and the issues with their relationship were too repetitive and dragged. As she sorts through a lifetime of memories, everything comes to a halt when she comes across something she just can’t part with: an old set of encyclopedias.

If you like stories filled with relatable characters, humor, and heart, and you are as intensely curious about the items that other people are sentimentally attached to, then definitely pick this book up, you won't be disappointed. Alex, Jess's best friend Luce, Jess's old neighbours Dougie and Maggie, the museum helpers Dec, Paul and Angel - all had interesting and distinct personalities. This has been one of my best reads of 2022 so far and a book that will stay with me for a long time. I simply couldn't visualise Jess because of this, and this probably increased my level of disconnect. Gayle was masterful in establishing those connections and taking ordinary people, ordinary things and making them feel extraordinary.In the process of finding the books a new home, Jess discovers an unusual archive of letters, photographs, and curious housed in a warehouse and known as the Museum of Ordinary People. As Jess’s dreams of working in a museum begin to take shape, there are other aspects of her life that she needs to take into account– her friendship with Alex, the cracks in her relationship with Guy, a revelation about her identity of her father that could fracture some of the most important relationships in her life – a lot is going on in Jess’s life and we feel invested in her journey as tries to navigate her way through the changes in her life. I wonder if they’ll take my battered copy of Wind the Willows, a seventh birthday present from and signed by my father and a well worn one eyed teddy bear? Hoping to organise the collection and officially open the museum to the general public means not only convincing Alex to change his mind about selling up, but also appeasing jealous boyfriend Guy who can’t understand why Jess’s project means so much to her.