Prompt #24 – A book that takes place over the course of a day

I requested The Queue by Alexandra Heminsley on a whim. I was sure how I felt about turning the death of The Queen into a novel, so I didn’t read it for a while. When I finally got around to it, I was surprised at how well the event worked as the backdrop for the characters.

What’s it about?

Three strangers. Ten miles. One life-changing day…

Suzie is 69 and has been keeping a secret for most of her life. She’d do anything to have her beloved Colin with her today, of all days, but she’s hoping that the long walk ahead will be a first chapter in a new life without him.

Tim is 42 and is joining the queue out of a sense of duty. It’s for his mum, who adored the Queen, but she can’t be there. He’s lived his whole life by the book, putting facts before feelings, trying to fit in but always sticking out. Perhaps he can change that today, by becoming part of history?

Abbie is 19, desperately hungover and isn’t sure how she ended up in the queue at all. Her ‘big move’ to London hasn’t exactly gone to plan – surrounded by millions of people, she’s never felt more lonely, and her dreams feel further away than ever. Yet today, she feels closer to her queue family than she does her real one.

As the unlikely trio wind along the Thames, edging ever closer to Westminster and the Queen, it becomes clear that when they finally leave the queue their worlds will never be the same again…

What I think:

Queen Elizabeth II dies and the country goes into mourning. People begin to queue to pay their last respects, and before long the queue itself becomes an historic event, snaking over 10 miles through London.

The story focuses on three very different people. They all join the queue for different reasons – to be a part of history and a truly London experience; a shared experience that honours people in their own lives as well as the Queen.

As the queue progresses, the strangers, while not becoming friends, certainly begin to open up and share truths about their lives. The moment of national reflection becomes deeply personal and brings them altogether in unexpected ways.

Abbie is abandoned by her rich, but inconsiderate, housemates who are hungover and thoughtless. She is finding life in the city lonely, but doesn’t want to admit  it is not living up to expectations. Tim joins the queue as a tribute to his mother. He lives a quiet and respectable life, but has never really opened up about his sexuality. And then there is Suzie, who has a secret that she has kept for many years, even from those she loved.

All three characters experience a sense of loneliness and disappointment. Being in the queue gives them a sense of community and the courage to face their fears.

I’m not sure that the friendships that were formed in the queue will last beyond the book. I’d like to think that Tim and Howie do get to know each other more. And that all three of the main characters find the connections they are looking for in life.