Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Things aren't going well for Florence.  Eighty-four, she is living these days at the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly but the administration is starting to make noises about her needing to move to the next stage in assisted living.  No way is Florence going to go.  Although things aren't perfect here at Cherry Tree, it has one unassialably advantage.  Her best friend, Elsie, is also a resident and she spends every day with Elsie and makes her feel better about life.

Florence and Elsie have been friends since they were children.  Elsie always knows what to say to help Florence remember things, to speak so that others understand what she wants or means, or just to make the days pass by with fun instead of boredom.  All in all, life is good as long as Florence is with Elsie.  At least until the day the new guy moves in.

As soon as Florence sees the new resident, she knows him by his true name.  This is Ronnie, the older guy who brought tragedy to Elsie's family.  Ronnie, who was cruel to the women around him.  Ronnie, who cheated and lied but who had a magnetism that women couldn't resist.  Ronnie, who Florence killed over forty years ago.

It couldn't be Ronnie, but Florence is convinced.  He is sly, grinning at Florence but otherwise acting perplexed at why she thinks she knows him.  Soon, Florence is being gaslighted, things moved around her apartment, things she thinks are missing showing up, events stages to make Florence look like her mental state is deteriorating.  She knows who is responsible but how to convince anyone else?

This novel was longlisted for the Woman's Prize in 2018.  It takes the reader inside the mind of an elderly person who is fighting to retain their dignity but who feels the world slipping away, slowly but inevitably, day by day.  It is also a mystery which is revealed slowly and with each retelling, the world shifts and we understand Florence a bit better.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.