The Catch by Alison Fairbrother 5*

 

This was a book that surprised me. I expected it to be about how the father, who’d had four kids with three different wives, a minor poet at that, was “the catch.”  But Catch has so many meanings, and they are all in play in this fun novel where the main character Ellie, tries to understand why her now deceased father left his most prized possession, not to her, his favorite, but to a stranger. The unfolding of this mystery is full of emotion, good humor, and excellent characters. I’d call it a great summer read, but if isn’t a typically shallow, feel-good book. The writing is gorgeous and the story complex enough, with much emotional growth, that is deserves any season. I’ll look forward to Fairbrother’s next one!

 

Thanks to Random House for the advance copy of this book, which published on June 22, 2022.