Should I Tell You by Jill Mansell

Many thanks to Headline for sending me an advance review copy of Jill Mansell’s latest book, Should I Tell You? I knew I was going to like it as soon as I saw the intriguing map of Lanrock inside the front cover. This novel’s genre is feel-good fiction, and its theme is going home. People who have moved away from the place where they grew up often ask themselves how their lives would have turned out if they had stayed. By returning to live in Lanrock, the Cornish seaside town where they once shared loving foster parents, Amber, Lachlan and Raffaele disprove the old saying that you should never go back.

 There are many stories about returning wanderers. Often they are on the dark side, but there are no feuds or revenge plots in Should I Tell You? Instead, the friends go home in style. Amber has her own business, designing and selling stained glass. Lachlan is a chef with a national reputation. Raffaele has trained in some of London’s top hairdressing salons. All three are around thirty, attractive and sociable.

 I found it refreshing to read a book about successful people who did not go to university. Many of the novels I review are about graduates whose emotional history and sense of self are rooted in their student years. Amber, Lachlan and Raffaele have all served apprenticeships in their chosen paths, and this shows in their creative and independent attitudes.

However, they all have problems to resolve. Amber is in love with Lachlan, but she is afraid to tell him of her feelings in case it spoils their friendship. Lachlan has commitment issues and an overbearing patron. A sudden change in the behaviour of Raffaele’s adored girlfriend has forced him to separate from her. Also, they suspect that their foster father, who is now a widower, is being exploited by a predatory younger woman.

The foster father, Teddy Penhaligon, is a kind person, a real gentleman and an excellent example of good parenting. He and his late wife May had a successful printing business and no children of their own, so they opened their comfortable home to children in need of care. Amber, Lachlan and Raffaele formed a close bond as young adults, when they found themselves with nowhere to spend Christmas and were welcomed in by May and Teddy.

To add to the many delights of sunny Lanrock, there are satisfying and well-developed sub-plots in Should I Tell You? Benje is an endearing young man whose domineering mother makes it difficult for him to make friends, and Lachlan’s inability to keep his affair with a local barmaid casual is very entertaining.

As an alternative to spending a sunny weekend at the seaside with charming people, soaking up gossip along with the sea air, I recommend Should I Tell You?