*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for supplying me with a review copy of ‘The Cactus’. All thoughts written here are done so in an unbiased manner.*
People aren’t sure what to make of Susan Green. Family and colleagues find her prickly and hard to understand – but Susan makes perfect sense to herself. Age 45, she thinks her life is perfect. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a steady job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits.
Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control. And things can only get worse … at least in Susan’s eyes.
TWG’s Thoughts.
I really wasn’t sure what to make of ‘The Cactus’ at first. I had seen various other reviews where readers wrote that it was a marmite book etc, so I was rather curious to see for myself.
Susan is for sure, a marmite character, I’ll agree with that one, however she’s rather misunderstood in my eyes. Here is a woman who likes things done a certain way, is very particular about her likes and dislikes, is passionate about what she believes in and what she believes to be the truth (and won’t stop until she’s proven right). Yes, her delivery when spoken to can be a bit, how shall I put this nicely…..abrupt, and her brain doesn’t seem to connect with her mouth (I see myself in her!), but her intentions are good. Susan isn’t a social butterfly by any means, in fact, she would rather by 10 feet away from any sort of touching, human breathing space. Most people, like her brother Edward, would take that as her being a snotty so and so, difficult. Whereas I saw it as she didn’t know how to act around people who seemed to care about her. She had spent a lot of time over the years doing things by herself, so when someone offers help or a shoulder for her to cry on, her instinct was to get defensive and push them away.
When Susan’s life began to change in a way she thought she would never want, something must have clicked in her and it was as though she was finally coming to the realisation that not everyone was against her. Don’t get me wrong, her family members didn’t leave a lot to be desired, but people like Rob and her neighbour, Kate, weren’t enemies, they were actually WANTING to help.
I couldn’t help but think of a certain Elizabeth Zott from ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus, when it came to forming my opinion of Susan. Both main characters came across as ‘awkward’ in life, with both having good intentions and a heart in the right place. There were so many similarities between the two, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I was told that they were actually long lost sisters! I mean, it’s possible!
‘The Cactus’ is certainly a unique read with a unique main character, yet I really enjoyed that about the book. I liked how different it was, and how different Susan was to many other main characters I have read about recently. I didn’t realise until after reading the book, that it was actually Sarah Haywood’s debut novel – I honestly wouldn’t have guessed otherwise! The storyline seemed as though it had been crafted by an author with multiple books under their belt!
I was pleasantly surprised by ‘The Cactus’, so much so that I, er, read it in one day. There was just something so endearing about Susan and everything she stood for. I found it be such a comfort read which, given how much Susan was against that, struck me as ironic. I really enjoyed reading Sarah Haywood’s debut novel – it was such a thought provoking, humbling novel which was written beautifully.
If you’re wanting to read a novel that is a little bit quirky, a chip off the old block, a comforting escape, then I urge you to pick up this one.
‘The Cactus’ by Sarah Haywood is available to purchase now on Amazon.
The Writing Garnet 