Book Review: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

By
Rebecca Hodge
-
The Flatshare
Image Source: Blackwells

Title: The Flatshare
Author: Beth O’Leary
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Format: Novel
Number Of Pages: 400 (Print), 478 (Digital)
Publish Date: April 10 2019

It has been about two years since I’ve read a novel, but Beth O’Leary‘s charming debut is written so beautifully that this story is unlikely to leave me any time soon. Quirky and heartwarming; let me tell you more about The Flatshare!

The Flatshare

Synopsis

Tiffy introduces the story of The Flatshare. She is emotionally dishevelled and without her own place after her recently-ended relationship. Tiffy desperately needs a flat, but her small budget reduces the potential habitable options in central London. She’s an editor for a rather eccentric book writer with a free spirit and obsession for crochet who occasionally uses Tiffy as a model in her public demonstrations.

Meanwhile, Leon needs some extra cash, so he advertises his central London flat online for shared letting. (Hence the title The Flatshare!) He works nights as a nurse and only occupies the flat in the daytime. This is ideal for Tiffy, who works regular daytime hours and will only occupy the flat at night. All seems perfectly fitting around their clockwork schedules, but Tiffy’s two protective best friends are unsure. For there’s just one questionable aspect of this arrangement. It’s more than just living space up for shares in this stranger’s one-bedroom flat!

Characters

Tiffy is flamboyant and uncommonly tall. She wears multiple colour-combinations in the same outfit, and has long bright orange hair. Her character is similar to her outward appearance; bright and expressive. As for Leon, he has long and dark curly hair, often wears cartoon-patterned boxer shorts. He is quiet and thoughtful, and his chapters are written to match this. You might say they’re almost like quick jots on a post-it-note. And that’s not too different to how the two ‘flatmates’ communicate … having never actually met!

Their notes start out telling about their dinner left-overs. Not forgetting polite reminders to put the toilet seat down! But they quickly develop into familiar and frequent, albeit fragmented, interactions which they anticipate after a long day’s work. Tiffy and Leon may not recognise each other in the street, but they do recognise when something is up. And they quickly learn of each other’s challenges; namely, a wrongly-imprisoned brother and some too-suspicious-to-be-chance encounters with exes.

Analysis

Beth O’Leary creates a world where simply seeing someone’s mind and character is enough. Well, almost, that is, until an unscheduled, unfortunate (or maybe fortunate) coincident! The cleverly creative writing style of The Flatshare is especially pleasing for those who aren’t fans of hefty chapters! The short chapters alternating between the perspectives of the two main characters provide a diary-like insight into their very different working London lives. O’Leary adds a unique twist to adopted classic ‘chick-lit moments. But she also subtly delves into deeper issues and harsh life-truths. These not only draw you closer to the characters, but also build an extra layer of complexity that allows a more meaningful message to weave throughout this unquestionably entertaining novel.

O’Leary’s creation of authentic and captivating characters within a gripping, cleverly-told storyline is beautiful. You really want it to be true. I feel when reading this that I want to engage with the characters myself in parts. By being able to read both sides of the story, you feel somehow involved and completely invested. For fiction, it has a strong sense of realness through its portrayal of the characters’ thoughts, feelings and honest life experiences. But of course, it has heaps of hilarity that my face was forced to express! After each chapter, you feel you have to know what the other character is thinking! And that ongoing cycle of wanting to delve into the other character’s mind makes the book unbelievably hard to close! The pages really do turn themselves.

Summary

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary serves as a reintroduction for me to the joy of reading. And now I cannot wait to read her second book The Switch.

Overall Rating: 8/10 – Very Good

Further Links

To purchase The Flatshare online, click here.

For additional information about Beth O’Leary, click here.

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