books
April 2, 2026
The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley review
Riley has always skewered cruelty with shattering exactitude. What’s new in this story of two old friends in London is the delicacy she brings to moments of tenderness
TL;DR
- The novel 'The Palm House' by Gwendoline Riley is set against the backdrop of a Saharan dust storm in London.
- Riley's work is characterized by its exploration of ordinary lives, often featuring female protagonists struggling with difficult relationships.
- The novel's tone is described as subtler and more elegiac, influenced by Penelope Fitzgerald, with a focus on the friendship between Laura and Putnam.
- Putnam, a former deputy editor, is in despair after resigning from his job, while Laura, a narrator working part-time, navigates the financial realities of contemporary London.
- The narrative delves into Laura's past through vignettes, revealing her fraught relationships and her learned behavior of being an accommodating listener.
- The novel highlights the "deep and unshowy solace of friendship" and moments of tenderness.
- Riley's prose is praised for its distillation, artlessness, and "shattering exactitude" in portraying cruelty, with a new gentle delicacy for friendship.
Continue reading the original article