Secrets at the Aviary Inn

Sophie Groenveld has finished her undergraduate studies in Toronto. She and her boyfriend, Marc-Antoine, are in York, England, a stop on their grand European tour. Sophie is here against her parents’ wishes, but she is on a mission. The only thing she knows about her mother’s background is that she was born and raised in York; she is determined to learn her mother’s full history. After an argument at a local pub, Marc-Antoine deserts Sophie, mistakenly taking her backpack with him instead of his own. Now, she is without money, passport, and rail pass. Desperate for funds, she scores a job as the night-desk clerk at The Aviary Inn, owned and managed by the enigmatic Mrs. Ava Roxtoby, who is at times efficient and alert and at other times appears to wander in a daze. Sophie detects an underlying sadness in the woman and feels an urge to connect. (She explains early on that she is “drawn to people, curious about them, and involved in their stories.”) Gradually, Sophie also begins to suspect that her mother has a connection to this Inn, with its quirky collection of stuffed birds and its assortment of live feathered friends in its unique private aviary. Clarke’s coming-of-age novel tracks Sophie’s summer-long interactions with a cohort of Inn employees; an elderly, mercurial Inn resident; and a growing circle of friends (including a couple of potential romantic partners) as she hunts down clues to her mother’s origins and tackles her own troubles. The story is slow-paced, but the prose, peppered with a variety of local accents, terminology, and customs, is engaging, and there are enough twists and turns to maintain readers’ interest. As secrets unravel, there are only a few surprises, but the plotline is addictive and Sophie is a sturdy, likeable protagonist.

May 19, 2025 - 05:26

Sophie Groenveld has finished her undergraduate studies in Toronto. She and her boyfriend, Marc-Antoine, are in York, England, a stop on their grand European tour. Sophie is here against her parents’ wishes, but she is on a mission. The only thing she knows about her mother’s background is that she was born and raised in York; she is determined to learn her mother’s full history. After an argument at a local pub, Marc-Antoine deserts Sophie, mistakenly taking her backpack with him instead of his own. Now, she is without money, passport, and rail pass. Desperate for funds, she scores a job as the night-desk clerk at The Aviary Inn, owned and managed by the enigmatic Mrs. Ava Roxtoby, who is at times efficient and alert and at other times appears to wander in a daze. Sophie detects an underlying sadness in the woman and feels an urge to connect. (She explains early on that she is “drawn to people, curious about them, and involved in their stories.”) Gradually, Sophie also begins to suspect that her mother has a connection to this Inn, with its quirky collection of stuffed birds and its assortment of live feathered friends in its unique private aviary. Clarke’s coming-of-age novel tracks Sophie’s summer-long interactions with a cohort of Inn employees; an elderly, mercurial Inn resident; and a growing circle of friends (including a couple of potential romantic partners) as she hunts down clues to her mother’s origins and tackles her own troubles. The story is slow-paced, but the prose, peppered with a variety of local accents, terminology, and customs, is engaging, and there are enough twists and turns to maintain readers’ interest. As secrets unravel, there are only a few surprises, but the plotline is addictive and Sophie is a sturdy, likeable protagonist.