Book Review: The Cactus - S. Haywood

"As you're aware, I've always been the author of my own destiny. We can chose how to define ourselves, and I define myself as an autonomous and resourceful woman. What I lack in Tera of family and other close personal relationships is more than compensated for by my rich inner life, which is infinitely more constant and dependable." 

I really enjoyed The Cactus, witty and comical, but still quite poignant and bitter-sweet. I loved Susan, this peculiar woman who is so independent and strong minded, I like how she doesn't really care about what other people thinks, how she can socialist but she is mostly happy with herself so she doesn't feel the need of other people company. She is so business like in everything, from her relationships to her planning for outfits. She made me laugh and I also found her very sweet when she slowly make space in her life for other people, Kate the neighbor and Rob.

It reminded me of Eleanor of Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman (read my review here) which I loved. Both women are extremely particular in their personalities and their set ways of living. 

Maybe the end is a bit fairy-taly but it's the beauty of it too. 

A novel I'd highly recommend, beautifully written and so engrossing. Miles from my life, yet I felt I was Susan for a while. A must read.

"A child would look at me and think, not 'estranged sister' or 'work colleague' or 'woman I sometimes see on the Tube', but 'mother'. That mattered. Mattered more than could be economic pained simply by logic alone. It mattered that I was not a disappointment, not a source of dissatisfaction, frustration or regret. I was confident my child would consider that I was fulfilling the parental role in an exemplary manner. Failure isn't in my vocabulary. But what if...?"

Overall rating:  8,5     Plot: 8,5     Writing style: 8,5      Cover:  7

Title: The Cactus

Author: Sarah Haywood
Publisher: Two Roads
Pages: 384
Publication year: 2018

The Plot:

At 45, she thinks her life is perfect, as long as she avoids her feckless brother, Edward - a safe distance away in Birmingham. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits. Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control. When she discovers that her mother's will inexplicably favours her brother, Susan sets out to prove that Edward and his equally feckless friend Rob somehow coerced this dubious outcome. But when problems closer to home become increasingly hard to ignore, she finds help in the most unlikely of places.

The Author:
Sarah Haywood was born in Birmingham. After studying Law, she worked in London and Birkenhead as a solicitor, in Toxteth as an advice worker, and in Manchester as an investigator of complaints about lawyers. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University, and lives in Liverpool with her husband, two sons and two ginger cats.