Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rate: 5 Stars
Reviewed by SnapdragonApril, a smart and lonely tech worker, worries work from home has gotten out of hand: She’s left an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the clerk at her Seattle neighborhood bookstore who has a gentle smile and looks great in flannel. But thanks to fate, Laura—a busy single mom who had given up on love—buys the book, finds the note, and thinks Westley has left it for her. A handsome man who loves books seems like just the plot twist she has been looking for.
Meanwhile, Westley—not the most perceptive—is too distracted by the movie filming at the store and the ambition it’s unlocked in him to notice either of the two women. But as April and Laura’s anonymous correspondence continues back and forth, their mundane routines are challenged, sparking a glimmer of hope. Is a happy ending in the cards for them?
Moira MacDonald’s new ‘Storybook Ending‘ is a fun twist on that shy-person’s bold attempt at a romance.
It might not seem bold to some, but “officially-lonely” April, decides to take a leap she almost immediately regrets. She sends a note to a handsome gentleman, of not-quite her acquaintance.
To her surprise and delight, she is answered. Oh, it might seem she was not especially daring, as her venture kicks off in the perfect place for her: A bookstore. An utterly charming new-and-used bookstore, inhabited by a truly pleasant, patient, and this mildly handsome man.
The setting is just right, the character, just right…and then there is Laura. Whoops, this adds a twist! We, the reader, are in the know from the start, and can see this is not headed in the way April believes. In fact, we might well believe that we can, where this is headed.
This is no silly rom com, however. It’s more of a fascinating psychological plunge into the lives of several people. It is an exploration. The introspective characters allow us to see developments, not only in the action, but each little step that the characters take. Each decision, each well-thought out, overly considered and very analyzed moment in each of their lives is revealed to us. It is not long before we feel we know them, and I have to admit, are firmly tied to each of them. It is hard to believe that this will work out well for all of them (or even, at times, any of them) but you will find yourself trying to imagine some way this will work out for all.
The very likable characters carry this story, at least at first. Curiosity builds, even though these seem like such ordinary lives.
Throughout, there is a thoughtful tone, a slow but hopeful pace, and a sense of something coming, something that, the more we read, the more we find we must know.
Ms. MacDonald’s writing is beautiful; her character studies are like written portraits. I found Storybook Ending to be utterly unlike anything I expected, and I heartily recommend it to all.
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