2024 book 157

 Margaret Tabor's Unity Penfold

What a JOY to go from reading a book where you’re like “I’m not really into this” to one where you’re like “I AM SUPER INTO THIS!!!” Originally published in 1980, and set in the 60s or 70s (I didn’t do the math), it’s the story of a woman (the eponymous Unity) who comes home from spending time with friends—except her house isn’t there. And apparently she, and her children, and her husband, don’t exist. Eventually the authorities determine she’s a missing woman named Sarah who's had a nervous breakdown, and she has to settle into Sarah's life while figuring out what’s real and what happened. It’s narrated in turns by her and by a musician she befriends, and it’s totally gripping. Apparently different versions of this novel were published, so this includes an added-on ending to one of the later editions, and it kind of weakened the story for me. But otherwise I loved this. A.