I have absolutely no idea which lovely publicist sent me a copy of By Your Side by Ruth Jones, but my enormous thanks to them for doing so. It’s my pleasure to share my review of By Your Side today.
By Your Side is published by Bantam and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.
By Your Side
Because second chances come when you least expect them . . .
Linda Standish has been a friend to the friendless for the past thirty-three years, in her role at the council’s Unclaimed Heirs Unit. And now she’s looking forward to the joys of an early retirement.
But before she hangs up her lanyard, Linda takes on one last case – that of Levi Norman – a Welshman who made his home on a remote Scottish island for the five years before he died. Linda must visit Storrich to track down Levi’s remaining relatives . . .
What brought Levi here? And who did he leave behind? Obliged to travel (by hearse!) with her arch nemesis, and helped (and hindered…) by the local residents, Linda searches for clues to a life now lost. And in the process unexpectedly makes new friends, and discovers things about herself she never knew.
Bursting with all the heart and humour that has made Ruth’s name as a screenwriter and author, By Your Side is a joyful celebration of friendship, love and community.
My Review of By Your Side
Council worker Linda has a final case to solve before she retires.
What a completely wonderful book. I adored By Your Side because Ruth Jones balances humour and sadness so effectively that the story hits right to the very heart of who we are. I could not have been more delighted to find that I share the same first name as the main protagonist.
Linda is a fabulous creation. She is a blend of vulnerability and confidence; overweight, opinionated (make sure you read the bonus material of her pet hates), witty and determined to do a good job in honouring those who die without known family. Her relationship with her son Struan is glorious and although I’m not remotely maternal, so good is Ruth Jones’s ability to convey human feelings, that I experienced every emotion with Linda as Struan tries to rebuild his marriage and moves away from her.
I adored Brodie and Fergus Murray too because they help reveal Linda’s full personality. Brodie’s initial appearance in oil stained clothing epitomises the fact that we shouldn’t judge by appearances and it was quite glorious to have a middle aged, slightly weather-beaten hero. I loved the maturity and pragmatism of the way Brodie and Linda develop their relationship, but equally I adored their physicality too. By Your Side is proof positive that middle aged folk still have life in them!
However, it is Levi who is the total triumph. Loyal, a wonderful father, resourceful and grief-stricken, he restores the reader’s faith in humanity and yet breaks their heart at the same time. A few of his actions are almost unconscionable and yet they are completely understandable and create a bond of understanding between him and the reader. He is the catalyst for the fabulous plot and provides a sensitive glimpse into how we never truly know other people – even those closest to us.
The plot of By Your Side is sheer perfection. Its depth and quality lie in the fact that not everything is resolved as the reader might want, but instead it is realistic and all the more emotional as a result. The story feels authentic, moving and touching.
I thought the setting of Storrich was glorious. There’s a witty irony that Linda travels to a remote Scottish island to discover the intimate details of Levi’s life and to experience her own renewed chance of happiness, because the further she travels, the more she comes home. It is, in fact, the people who create a sense of place, community and atmosphere, every bit as much as this fabulous Scottish island.
With themes of family, truth, belonging and deep, abiding, love, By Your Side is utterly wonderful. A story of mistakes and second chances, it’s moving, enchanting and packed with wit and humanity. I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s one of my top reads this year.
About Ruth Jones
Ruth Jones MBE is well known for her television work, most notably BBC One’s multi-award-winning Gavin and Stacey, co-written with James Corden, in which she played Nessa Jenkins. The 2019 and 2024 Christmas specials of this well-loved show garnered viewing figures of 18 million and 21 million respectively. Ruth also created and co-wrote several series of Stella for Sky TV, for which she was BAFTA nominated. Other TV work includes Hattie, Nighty Night and Saxondale. In 2024 Ruth played Mother Superior in Sister Act the Musical at London’s Dominion Theatre. Her latest acting role is Elena Ravenscroft in Harlan Coben’s Run Away for Netflix.
Ruth’s novels have sold over a million copies. Never Greener was a Sunday Times bestseller for fifteen weeks, three weeks at number one, as well as WHSmith Fiction Book of the Year 2018, a nominated Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, and a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. Her second novel, Us Three, and her third novel, Love Untold, were also instant Sunday Times bestsellers. Love Untold was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year, as well as a Richard & Judy Book Club pick.
For further information, find Ruth on Instagram.
English (US) · 