The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon is a lovely quirky novel, told predominantly through the eyes of a 10 year old girl, but also gives an insight into the adults that live in her street and play a part in her world. It is set in the UK during the very hot summer of 1976, and is charmingly reminiscent of that era.
The plot centres around the disappearance of a Mrs Creasy. There are also other happenings: a fire that took place some time ago, a baby that was kidnapped for a short period of time, and the image of Jesus seen in the stains on a drainpipe.
Grace, the protagonist, is an entertaining and amusing character. Her relationship with her best friend is brilliantly explored, whilst the grown-up characters, (of which there are many), are all harbouring secrets away from young ears. Grace, being inquisitive, is on a journey to find out what lurks behind the prejudicial comments and obvious lies. Unfortunately, the author doesn’t reveal all the answers to all the questions posed, but even so, I did feel more or less compensated for this wind-up by the fact that, overall, I found the book well written, engulfing and an enjoyable read.