Grandmother of two Stella lives a modest life in suburbia, with husband Matthew, making a living by painting pet portraits. It’s a long way from her youth in the heady days of the 1960s. But when past flame and music icon Cameron Keene rocks back into her life, her quiet, comfortable world gets all shook up. Pointing the lens on the older generation, Maeve Haran shows that there’s life in these old bones yet but also that they too were young. There’s some great personalities in here, and whilst the central characters are in the upper age ranges, Haran covers the whole spectrum, and it is perhaps teen grandson Jesse who steals the show. Indeed, his relationship with his grandmother is a beautiful testament to this special bond. And Stella herself is a character who feels completely real. Add to that, three (yes, three) male love interests, two of Cameron’s wives, and a feisty Argentinian mother-in-law, oh and a dog in socks, and you’ve got a veritable feast of fun. Aside from his early entrance, Cameron is a bit absent – he has a UK tour to see to after all – and when Jesse goes missing, it’s not quite the urgent search and rescue you might expect. But that aside, it’s an uplifting, humorous yarn that rattles along at a fair old pace, showing there’s more to the older generation than meets the eye. (JC)
What Became Of You, My Love?, by Maeve Haran, asks if we can ever relive those giddy times when everything seemed possible. The summary says: "Stella Ainsworth has settled for suburban peace with a pedantic husband, a dissatisfied daughter and a clutch of beloved grandchildren - who all take her presence in their lives for granted. Then Cameron Keene, her boyfriend from her teenage years who'd left for America to become a rock icon of the Sixties, returns to England. Much to Stella's astonishment, Cameron announces in an interview that his most famous song, which became a legendary love anthem across the world, was written about Stella, and that he has come back to find her." What Became Of You, My Love? is out in January 2016.