Three Things About Elsie

June 1, 2018
Two friends work at solving a mystery that spiderwebs back in time, not unlike the young girls in Cannon's debut, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep (2016), but this book is set much later in life at an assisted living facility.As long as she can remember, Florence's best friend has been Elsie. They both think of Florence's memory as spotty, though, and Elsie often challenges her to practice calling up facts from their shared past. Strangely--and it is one of many peculiarities permeating the book--the chapters that Florence narrates exude authority, a good eye for detail, and a crotchety independence that unfortunately puts her on probation with the assistant director at her housing complex. This makes it very bad timing for Ronnie Butler to appear, masquerading as a new resident, because Ronnie Butler was supposed to have drowned in 1953 and, before that, was a violent man who infested and harmed Elsie's family. Florence is terrified; she believes he has come back for her but can't explain why. Maddeningly, she communicates less efficiently with authorities than with the reader, and they aren't inclined to believe her anyway. But what begins as a tale evocative of The Yellow Wallpaper turns into an amateur detective story when Florence confides in the kind and clever General Jack, another resident, and they go hunting down clues to Ronnie's motives and the identity he's stolen. The tone then shifts once more (at the seaside, appropriately) to something bittersweet and pensive, concerned with the significance of any one life as well as the texture of devotion. The novel breathes with suspense, providing along the way piercing, poetic descriptions, countless tiny mysteries, and breathtaking little reveals. Some outcomes seem obvious, but enough is left unsaid to keep readers unsure of anything until the last chapter. Perhaps not quite then, either.A rich portrait of old age and friendship stretched over a fascinating frame.

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June 25, 2018
The unreliable narrator of Cannon’s amusing and heartbreaking novel (following The Trouble with Goats and Sheep) spends most of the story lying in a heap on the floor of her apartment at the Cherry Tree “sheltered accommodation” for the elderly, reviewing her life. Florence, 84 and opinionated, is beginning to wonder whether she can trust her senses. First, she notices that somebody appears to moving small objects in her apartment; then, she recognizes a new resident, and realizes to her horror that he is somebody she is sure died in 1953. Fortunately, Florence has as her companion her best friend from childhood onward, Elsie, who helps her solve these mysteries and always knows what to say to make her feel better. Florence’s acerbic and sometimes troubled voice is the main narration, though the perspective sometimes shifts to those of well-meaning administrator Miss Ambrose and dogged, socially awkward handyman Simon. While readers are likely to guess the mysterious “third thing” about Elsie early on, and the book’s shocks depend on some unlikely coincidences, Cannon makes her protagonist sympathetic and touches lightly on how easy it is to make false assumptions about the elderly. Readers may come for the mystery, but they’ll stay to spend time with Florence.

August 1, 2018

Longlisted for the British Women's Prize for Fiction, Cannon's second novel (after Trouble with Goats and Sheep) is mostly a contemplation by octogenarian Florence as she waits for someone to notice she has fallen in her room at the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. She ruminates about her lifelong friend Elsie and the secret they shared, but Elsie is never really explained; the reader concludes Flo can't remember the secret. These mysterious elements add substance, as several secondary characters intersperse their points of view, including a handyman and a caseworker who tries to enliven the assisted-living environment with mixed success. The main enjoyment of the narrative lies in the little gems of wisdom gained from decades of living. VERDICT Older characters are beginning to get their own literature, and Cannon's title is a positive addition that should resonate with elderly citizens and their caretakers everywhere.--Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Chicago

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