A Faraway Smell Of Lemon by Rachel JoyceAuthor Website Amazon (UK) Amazon.com Transworld Digital (ebook), 2013
26 Pages
BLURB
It is Christmas Eve. Binny has four hours to make Christmas happen and she couldn't feel less like wishing glad tidings of good will to all men - least of all to Oliver. It is raining, her house is falling apart, the streets are jammed with people and it is all Oliver's fault. Darting into a shop to escape a conversation, Binny finds herself in the sort of place she would never normally visit. But in amongst the shelves is a surprising source of peace.
A beautiful gem of a short story from Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Perfect.
OPENING SENTENCE
It is Christmas Eve.
REVIEW
A Faraway Smell Of Lemon is a good story. I enjoyed it. The story is well written and quite sad at times. I liked the way the main character's very recent break-up is contrasted with all the commercial trappings of Christmas. The last thing you feel like doing after having your heart ripped out is celebrating. I found Binny's experiences very realistic. Breaking up just before Christmas is a horrible feeling. Even though the story is set at Christmas, the festive period is incidental and the story could have been set at any time. I liked the flashbacks of her relationship and the break-up. I really like the scenes of the story set in the mysterious little shop where Binny is able to reach some sort of equilibrium. I'm a big fan of Rachel Joyce and this story delighted me. A Faraway Smell Of Lemon is a perfect little story.
