Things can Only get Better by David M Barnett

Left adrift when his beloved wife died, Arthur moved into a disused chapel in the cemetery grounds and took up a job as groundskeeper. He lives a solitary life and enjoys it. Or at least, doesn't hate it. Actually, he doesn't feel much of anything these days. Irritation at the local teens, who are always taking short cuts through the graveyard. Fear and worry, when he learns that the council plans to move part of the graveyard and destroy his chapel to build housing for asylum seekers. As anger grows in the local community, Arthur and the group of disaffected teens who have befriended him must decide what's worth fighting for, and what should be left in the past.

My synopsis only scratches the surface of what this book is about. Each of the four teens has their own story line, with Kelly getting the most attention and Timmy the least. There's a mystery subplot about flowers being left on Arthur's wife's grave, and the kids trying to start a band, and flashbacks to Arthur's war (hero) past, and the expectations society puts on kids from this kind of background...there's a lot going on here, and David does very well at keeping each story line distinct while it's still wrapped up with the others.

It's a good read for this time of year. not just because it's set in December but because it reminds us how little things have changed in the last 23 years. There are still asylum seekers, fleeing from unspeakable horrors and treated disgracefully badly when they arrive here; there are still people willing to blame their problems on anyone else; there's still unemployment and troubles and social stratification. But there are still good people out there too, Arthurs and Peters and Kellys, and as long as we have enough of them we'll do alright.

Pick this one up if you need a cosy read for the holidays. You won't be sorry.

For elderly churchwarden Arthur Calderbank, there's no place like home. His home just so happens to be a graveyard.

He keeps himself to himself, gets on with his job, and visits his wife everyday for a chat. When one day he finds someone else has been to see his wife - and has left flowers on her grave - he is determined to solve the mystery of who and why. He receives unlikely help from a group of teenage girls as he tries to solve the mystery, and soon learns that there is more to life than his little graveyard.

Set during the 1990s, Things Can Only Get Better is an uplifting story about the power of a little kindness, friendship and community for readers who enjoy Sue Townsend Ruth Hogan and Joanna Cannon.