The Museum of Ordinary People: The uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of Half a World Away

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She meets Alex who has just inherited the late Thomas Barclay's house clearing business and his quirky 'museum' with a warehouse full of items representing the lives of ordinary people, rather than those of the privileged and powerful elites in society. Set in both Northampton and London, the story begins with Jess at her childhood home clearing her mother’s property for sale following her death.

The author has also explored a lot of other themes throughout the book which were done in a very sensitive way. Living halfway across the world and the pandemic (and the international travel restrictions that followed) made for a good excuse to not travel. While it might be true that some things are thrown away for good reason, it's equally true that some things are saved for a purpose.But it’s a dated set of encyclopedias that she can’t part with as they were one of the most treasured gifts she received as a child. The museum of ordinary people, will have you thinking about something in your life that you would put or have put in the ‘museum of ordinary people’. Her most precious possession from among her mother's belongings is a set of old encyclopaedias, but she has no place to keep them in the apartment she shares with her partner Guy.

There are also two relatively minor tracks that aren't elaborated upon until the final quarter of the book: the identity of Jess's father, and the mysterious reason the old owner of the museum Mr. Spilling over with Mike Gayle's trademark warmth and tenderness, it's so insightful and thought-provoking on loss and grief, as well as the meaning of possessions and how we might take a fresh look at the things we once took for granted.My own family came to this country in the 50s and 60s from the Caribbean and they too settled in and around the Northampton area, so I found myself loving Jess immediately.

This crime fiction lover is completely enamoured with the novels of Mike Gayle and I can’t wait for his next one.I can relate to how the most seemingly insignificant and mundane things can evoke sorrow and nostalgia and open a floodgate of memories. It’s been a year since Jess Baxter’s mother died and she’s decided now is the time to finally tackle her childhood home to empty its contents. Inspired by an abandoned box of mementos, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves.