Angelica Stone

Angelica Stone is a much darker story than its cover art implies. Readers should be aware of potential triggers in scenes of abuse and rape which are pretty graphically described.

Despite being the title character, Angelica's story is ofen overshadowed by that of her new found friend, Lola. Lola has recently moved back into her childhood home, nursing a broken heart and attempting not to be too jealous of her parents' incredibly happy marriage. Lola meets Angelica through the supermarket where they both work, but it takes a while for Lola to earn Angelica's trust. As readers we see Angelica's situation primarily from Lola's perspective and this effectively highlights the shocking differences between their lives. Susi Osborne has obviously carefully researched the experiences of homeless women, particularly young women, in the UK and this gives a strong sense of authenticity to Angelica's story. Her guarded attitude and pragmatism rang true and I was upset at Lola's repeated inability to keep her promise of secrecy. Not as good a friend as she likes to think she is!

For my tastes there are a few too many convenient coincidences propelling the narrative and I would have preferred the focus to have remained on Angelica. Her's is such a heartrending tale that I didn't feel the need for Lola's family drama although I understood that this aspect added extra excitement. Although I certainly didn't like all the characters - neither was I meant to! - I did like Osborne's crafting of scenes and dialogue to portray each one. Rafferty's unspoken reactions to Sean concisely depict the man and even cameo roles such as Bob are vivid and believable. The grim details of Angelica's street and home allowed me to empathise and I feel that the imagery is memorable. Hopefully this novel, Angelica Stone, will be influential in raising awareness of the plight of homeless women in our towns and cities, especially as the issue continues to grow.