Dreams of Dead Women's Handbags: Collected StoriesIn A Bowl of Cherries Shena Mackay tells the story of twin brothers whose lives are inexorably intertwined: Rex, a self-absorbed and successful writer, and Stanley, a minor poet who works as a dishwasher. Rex lives on the family estate being the older of the twins by one minute with his unhappy wife, Daphne, who writes children's books. Their overweight daughter, Daisy, lives nearby, and as a result of a guilty secret of her own, has married an overbearing, misogynist, and skinflint husband, Julian. Rex's illegitimate son, Seamus, 14, discovers Daisy quite by accident and their relationship blossoms despite the many flawed characters that surround them. He carries a family secret that proves to be devastating, but which ultimately releases his half-sister Daisy from her torments. |
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Almond asked bathroom Bryony Bryony's cigarettes clothes coffee cried Daisy Daisy Beaumont Daisy's Daphne dark dear door Dorking Dreamland Express dress drink Esther Beaney eyes face Fairlawn father feet fell felt Finch fingers floor flowers garden Giles Cluff-Trench girl glass green grey hair hand head heard Jason Jennifer Greengrass Julian kitchen knees laughed Laughing Policeman legs Leith Hill looked Maud mind Miss Windibank morning mother mouth Mummy Nanny never night Oberammergau paper paracetamol picked pink pome pop music pulled realised Rex's round Seamus secateurs seemed sleeping smile someone sorry St Cloud Stanley Stanley's stared stood stopped summer house suppose tears telephone tell thing thought told took tortoise trousers turned Uncle venison voice watched What's window wonder