Book Review: The Lodgers by Eithne Shortall

About The Book

An uplifting and heart-warming tale of friendship, community and a mystery package.

One house. Three strangers. A second chance at happiness.

Tessa's life as an activist and volunteer worker takes a hit after a fall. At the ripe young age of 69, she's no longer able to live alone and decides to take in two lodgers for free. After the recent death of his brother, Conn is riddled with grief and determined to make amends.

A free room seems too good to be true - until he meets the other lodger. Chloe arrives at Tessa's house to deliver a package and leaves with a room. But she takes an instant dislike to Conn, who refuses to say where he disappears to at night.

With everyone so busy keeping their own secrets, the mysterious package is forgotten. It's addressed to Tessa's daughter who's been missing for 10 years - and only the contents have the answer to what happened...

Why We Love It

Set in Howth, just north of Dublin, The Lodgers is a uplifting and engaging tale of three unlikely housemates: 69-year-old Tessa, who despite her advancing years still clings fiercely to her independence; Conn, a once high-flying lawyer with a mysterious past; and Chloe, a delivery courier seeking refuge from her overbearing mother.

Brought together by chance and circumstance, the three strangers slowly discover the truth of each other's lives and the secrets they each hold, finding comfort and strength in their new makeshift family and the shared space they call home.

The book is set against the backdrop of a campaign led by Tessa to save a local community hall threatened by property developers, as well as the mystery of her missing daughter. It’s very much a character-driven story, exploring themes of community, friendship and found family, though there is a darker, more poignant side to the story too.

Eithne Shortal writes about issues around mental health, depression and the housing crisis with sensitivity and compassion, perfectly balancing moments of sadness with moments of laugh-out-loud humour.

Is the ending a little bit predictable? Probably, but to be honest that’s what I enjoyed about it. Sometimes we read books because we crave a happy ending - that deep sigh of relief when all conflicts are resolved and the characters we've grown to care about finally acknowledge their feelings.

This is exactly that kind of book and I absolutely loved it!