This novel opens with Gilda, an anxious, unemployed twenty-something, injured after a car crash. Someone asks if she’s okay, but she’s not: she’s been turning up to A&E every week with severe panic attacks because she can’t stop thinking about death. Desperate for some relief, Gilda goes to a Catholic church after seeing a flyer for free therapy. Through a series of misunderstandings, she ends up being hired as a receptionist, replacing an old woman called Grace who has died. As Gilda is both gay and an atheist, her new job forces her to lead a double life in order to pay rent – and solve the mystery of Grace’s death. The premise of the novel may be a little out there, but Gilda is such a well thought out, relatable character that it doesn’t feel far-fetched. This is a kind, heart-warming read that’ll help you laugh your way through your own anxieties. MW

Atlantic Books