Sipsworth

Sometimes the smallest companion can give us the biggest reason to keep going.

After losing both her husband and her son, Helen Cartwright returns to the English village where she grew up after spending sixty years living abroad.

Now in her eighties, Helen has withdrawn from the world. Her days have become quiet and predictable, and she has little interest in beginning again. She simply wants to live out the rest of her life without fuss.

Then, one cold winter night, Helen discovers an unexpected visitor in her home.

A tiny mouse.

What begins as a chance encounter slowly becomes something much more meaningful. As Helen begins caring for the little creature she names Sipsworth, her carefully isolated world starts to open again. New routines emerge. Unexpected connections form. And little by little, Helen discovers that even after profound loss, life may still have something waiting for her.

Tender, whimsical, and deeply hopeful, Sipsworth is a beautiful story about grief, friendship, loneliness, second chances, and the extraordinary ways even the smallest acts of love can bring us back to life.

Perfect for readers who love: cozy literary fiction, uplifting stories, unlikely friendships, older protagonists, small English towns, found connection, stories about grief and healing, animal companions, quiet fiction, and heartwarming book-club reads.

Author: Simon Van Booy
Genre: Adult Literary Fiction / Friendship Fiction
Audience: Adult
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 250
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
EAN/ISBN: 9781567928754

This Edition Includes:

• Book Club Discussion Guide

Themes:

• Unlikely friendship

• Second chances

• Grief and healing

• Loneliness

• Hope

• Human connection

• Older protagonist

• Animal companion

• Small English town

• Finding purpose

• Kindness

• Starting over

⚠️ Content Note: Contains themes of bereavement, loneliness, depression, loss of a spouse and child, aging, and thoughts about death. The overall story is ultimately hopeful and life-affirming.