Light but intriguing story. Susan Green is trying to do what is necessary after the death of her mother, while her brother Edward, who has always been feckless, is trying to thwart her. Susan is a strangely cool person emotionally, and we quickly get the feeling she doesn’t see life the way most of us do (echoes of Eleanor Oliphant here). She lives alone, has little social life, and cannot understand why her fastidiousness gets on other people’s nerves. It also becomes clear as the novel progresses that the family balance is not what Susan has always assumed it to be. She’s a strong woman, never relying on others to do what she can herself, and she sets off to tackle the problems thrown up by her bereavement in her own indomitable way. But, despite her best efforts to bat them away, friendship and acceptance may be waiting in the wings. Not sure why it’s called The Cactus, except that she owns some, and is rather a prickly person...
