The amazing thing to me about this book by Alexander McCall Smith, is that it was originally a serial in The Scotsman, Edinburgh's daily newspaper about five years ago.
Imagine reading part of a novel each day in the paper.
That is why this story unfolds in 110 short chapters. In the foreword, Smith says the serialization was a challenge. I think he pulled it off.
It is typical of Smith's books. Peopled with ordinary, but slightly quirky characters, it tells the story of the inhabitants of an apartment building on Scotland Street in Edinburgh, their bosses, families and foibles.
There is Pat, a young woman in her second "gap year" renting a room in the flat of Bruce, a vain young man. He has her mystified at first, then infatuated.
We also meet her boss, Matthew, who can't seem to run his art gallery without her help.
Neighbors in the building include an obsessive mother of a "gifted" little boy and a widow who seems to know everything.
The plot isn't too deep. There is a mystery surrounding a painting: Is it a valuable masterpiece or a copy? That's about it for intrigue other than a few conflicts among the characters.
The story showcases the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, which I particularly like because I traveled there once, so I could picture some of the scenes.
Smith has written three more books in the Scotland Street series. I'll have to look for them next.
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