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The Cactus

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The Cactus

By: Sarah Haywood
Narrated by: Katherine Manners
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

People aren't sure what to make of Susan Green. Family and colleagues find her prickly and hard to understand - but Susan makes perfect sense to herself. Age 45, she thinks her life is perfect. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a steady job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits.

Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control. And things can only get worse ... at least in Susan's eyes. 

This sparkling debut is a breath of fresh air with real heart and a powerful emotional punch. In Susan we find a character as exasperating and delightful as The Rosie Project's Don Tillman. An uncompromising feminist and a fierce fighter, it's a joy to watch her bloom.

©2018 Sarah Haywood (P)2018 John Murray Press Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good Funny Witty
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Critic reviews

'Quirky, poignant and extremely readable' Sunday Mirror

'Brilliantly comic' The Lady

'Wonderfully funny and astute' Red
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I enjoyed listening to this immensely. It was similar to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine which was, and still remains one of my favourite ever reads.

A really good listen

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Heartwarming book with simply wonderful characters and a believable storyline. I was hooked. Would make a great movie.

Absolutely loved it

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Funny & moving. Narrator's brummy twang vividly brought the story to life. Loved it.

Funny & Moving

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I wasn't expecting great things from this novel after reviewers' comparisons with "Eleanor Oliphant" (which I didn't believe was repeatable).
However, "The Cactus" achieves a different kind of success by making the reader care about a protagonist (and, indeed, a whole family!) to whom we don't particularly warm - in fact, Susan herself is often actively mean.
The satisfaction of the story comes, I suppose, from our inexplicable interest in her fate, and our wonder at the attraction that we (and others characters) feel towards her.
A recommended listen!

You'll be inexplicably hooked..!

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This book is so good. Great story and characters. Straight forward and a good pace, loved it

Such a good book

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