My book review of 'Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase' by Louise Walters
Working in a second-hand bookshop, Roberta is intrigued and delighted by the forgotten cards, letters and trinkets she discovers amongst the pages of the titles given up for sale. But it is a letter she finds in her grandmother's suitcase that throws up a bigger mystery, written, as it is, by the grandfather she never knew, and dated years after his death.
Chapters alternate between an account of Roberta, her bookshop finds and relationships, and the story of her grandmother, of rural life in wartime Britain, an unhappy marriage and a friendship with a Polish pilot. The two stories collide as Roberta ultimately unearths her grandmother's secret which has a huge impact on her life today.
This is a charming, enjoyable, easy read. Based on the author's own experience of working in a bookshop, the present-day story does hold more authenticity than that of the wartime tale. There weren't any surprises in the plot and that, in itself, was a little disappointing. The concept of wanting to probe behind letters and postcards lost in books could have been taken further. But overall, this was a lovely book.
