Following her mother’s death, Susan’s life is transformed, through legal battles, relationships, and a surprise pregnancy. She’s forced to confront the way she lives her life as changes happen to her – despite her assertion that one should never be victim to circumstances. 

To reflect Susan’s direct approach the prose is acerbic and the sentences short, which can get a bit grating, but works as a way to inhabit her interior world. is described as being this year’s Eleanor Oliphant (the most overused marketing phrase in the publishing world) but she’s a fully formed character in her own right – and a prickly one at that. Yet she’s easy to warm to, and makes The Cactus an enjoyable and easy read.