This is nothing like Cuddy! Benjamin Myers sure can mix it up!

The title, Rare Singles, references those ‘one hit wonders’ of days gone by, when music was released on vinyl. Earlon ‘Bucky’ Bronco is doing it tough since his wife has died. He’s hooked on opioids, and his days revolve around the anticipation of ’the golden hour’ when he takes his next dose of pills. When he’s invited to perform his very own one hit wonder at a music festival in Scarborough (England, that is) he thinks he may as well - what’s he got to lose?

Dinah is his minder, born and bred in Scarborough. She’s trapped by a loveless marriage, and soul music is her way of escaping the drudgery of her life. The hotel where Bucky stays is used as a metaphor for the state of the country: ‘It’s not what is once was. It’s just about held together by memories of past glories. That would be a good motto for half the towns up here actually. Or maybe just England in general. It’s not what it once way. Or perhaps, managed decline. Maybe its great past was just an illusion all along.’ By the way, the hotel is very real, and has had a recent make-over, according to their website, so could well be worth a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood!

Bucky’s struggle with addiction and withdrawal is visceral, and if ever anyone thought opioid addiction was ’not that bad’, this book will set them straight.

I’m not familiar with most of the artists and songs referred to, and I think this book will resonate more with those familiar with Northern Soul.

The friendship that develops between these two characters challenges them both, causing them to re-evaluate their lives. It’s feel-good, but not in a schmaltzy way.

I borrowed The Offing from the library and regretfully returned it. I immediately hot-footed it to my local bookshop and purchased my very own copy. This is a book to own and cherish and make personal margin notes to self to be rediscovered. Because The Offing is a book you will return to, especially when your soul needs the application of a gentle balm.
There’s a plot, but that’s not what this book is all about. It’s a homage to nature and the seasons and being immersed in the here and now, without distraction. It’s about friendship and how it can be transformative if your heart is open. It’s about love and grief and music and poetry and wine and books, because ‘books [may be] just paper, but they contain within them revolutions’.
So, pour yourself a generous glass of wine, make yourself comfortable and immerse yourself in the company of Dulcie and Robert.