The Bus on Thursday

Shirley Barrett

Related through a series of blog posts, this story is one square peg that won't fit any round hole, no matter how hard you hit it with a mallet. In remission from breast cancer, Eleanor Mellett relocates to the town of Talbingo - think Bridget Jones on the set of Carry On Screaming. If you don't mind your humour on the dark side, this is a very funny book which also succeeds in addressing serious issues. I thought it was an absolute blast.

Extract

So anyone might think I'd had enough drama for the week, but in fact there was more to come. Thank God it's Friday, is all I can say. And the irony is that I came to Talbingo to escape the stress! Because stress is just like the worst possible thing for breast cancer. And on a scale of one to being carted off to the nuthouse in a straightjacket, let's just say I am well and truly into the red section. I mean, the needle is probably spinning around and around like it does in cartoons. Like the altimeter in a cockpit when a plane goes into a graveyard spiral.

Parallels