Masha is drowning. Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, her life has been forever changed by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds solace in the silent company of the souls of her local Victorian cemetery and at the town's lido, where she seeks refuge underwater - safe from the noise and the pain. But a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent girl-turned-magician's wife-turned-seventy-something-roller-disco-fanatic, and the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again. Until the fateful day when the past comes roaring back... In the vein of her bestselling debut The Keeper of Lost Things, Ruth Hogan's second novel introduces a new cast of wonderful characters, both ordinary and charmingly eccentric, who guide us through a moving exploration of the simple human connections that make life worth living. Praise for The Keeper of Lost Things, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick 2017 'This is the first book I read in 2017 - and if another as good comes along in the next 12 months, I'll eat my special gold reviewing spectacles' Daily Mail 'A gem' Huffington Post 'Exquisite' The Lady 'Delightful' Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand