Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Ruby Lennox narrates her own life story starting from the moment of her conception, weaving together four generations of an eccentric, often tragic English family. Growing up above her parents' pet shop in York, Ruby pieces together the secrets, losses, and untold stories that shaped the women who came before her: her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother.

Sharp, funny, and quietly devastating by turns, the novel moves fluidly between past and present, tucking family history into footnotes and asides as Ruby uncovers just how much has been hidden from her. It's a richly layered portrait of ordinary domestic life shot through with wit, melancholy, and a keen eye for the absurd.