Helen Slavin brought the afterlife to life in her funny, quirky first novel, The Extra Large Medium. With The Stopping Place she takes her delicious observational humour into darker and more mysterious territory, with the harrowing story of a woman whose past has made her try to become invisible.
Ruby works in shelving at the library. She likes it that she is almost invisible. Although people don't notice her, she knows everything about them. She eavesdrops on chatty Mrs Milligan and the fastidious Mrs Atkinson, she especially loves hearing all about Martha's romantic affairs. When one of Martha's affairs takes a nasty turn Ruby feels that she must come out of her safe place behind the shelves and help her co-worker. She is then forced to confront the horrors of her own past relationship.
