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The Black Dress
Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it.
In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn't sound like the friend she knew. She's gone to the wrong service, though it was more excitement than she's had for ages. So Pru buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, why not go to another? No-one will challenge her - and what harm can it do?
Author
Author
Imprint
Tinder Press
ISBN
Publishing date
RRP (paperback)
Pages
9781472260505
22 July 2021
£8.91
249
Pru is 69; her husband has just left her to "find himself" and their 2 adult children live overseas. Pru is devastated; she misses the life she had with her husband, rather than totally missing him. Pru accidentally attends the wrong funeral and finds everyone warm, welcoming and friendly; so she buys a black dress from a charity shop and decides to go to another funeral.
The book, although an easy read, explores some very heavy things; death, grieving, loneliness and depression in older adults, power and control in relationships, identity and lockdown. Despite this there is plenty of dark humour, laugh out loud moments and some unexpected plot twists and turns Annette 7/10
I have to say, I didn’t enjoy The Black Dress. It’s billed as darkly witty but I didn’t find it so, possibly because I just didn’t like Pru, the 69 y/o main character. Gatecrashing strangers funerals in order to find a grieving widower is not my idea of witty I guess! Themes of loneliness, bitterness, depression and grieving run through this novel which is based loosely on the authors own experiences. Catherine 3/10
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