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Pillow Talk
Freya North
HarperCollins
Petra Flint was 15 years old when she saw curly-haired 17-year-old Arlo Savidge singing and playing the guitar at a high school concert when he was in a band called Noble Savages. She thought he was gorgeous, while Arlo was just as impressed with her looks. Despite their mutual attraction, the two didn’t become romantically involved at the time.
17 years later, 32-year-old Petra is a successful London jeweller with a steady boyfriend, Rob. She decides to surprise Rob for his 35th birthday by finishing work early, then letting herself into his flat, laden with candles, Champagne, flowers and chocolate, planning to make the place look romantic before he gets home. But when she arrives, Petra discovers Rob’s already there – and he has female company.
After breaking up with Rob, a friend notices how miserable Petra is and suggests she have a break by herself at his holiday house in North Yorkshire. One rainy day in an ice cream shop, Petra bumps into Arlo, who is now bald, but no less attractive. They exchange pleasantries but do not swap phone numbers or email addresses. Arlo, 34, is now a music teacher at a North Yorkshire boys’ boarding school. He is taking some of his students to London on a field trip and can’t talk for long but vows to see Petra again once he returns home.
However, it’s Petra who actually tracks Arlo down, thanks to the help of the man who works in the ice cream shop. Not wanting to waste another 17 years, Petra and Arlo begin dating and find happiness in each other’s arms.
Arlo soon discovers Petra has a habit of sleepwalking and that it’s nothing unusual for her to go wandering outside in the middle of night in her nightdress and gumboots. Although it’s embarrassing, she doesn’t know how to stop getting out of bed in the middle of the night. Arlo also finds it difficult to get a good night’s sleep because he can’t stop thinking about the death of his fiancé. Arlo has always blamed himself for her death.
Petra and Arlo want to help each other resolve their respective problems, but it isn’t easy. Then there is the issue of Miranda – a school teacher Arlo had a brief fling with whose unkind words threaten to ruin a happy relationship.
Written by British author, Freya North, this unpredictable and tender tale is about fate, second chances and honesty. The novel was recently named Romantic Novel of the Year 2008 by The Romantic Novelists’ Association in Britain.
Starting points for discussion:
- Do you think Arlo and Petra are introverts or extroverts or both?
- To what do you attribute Petra’s sleepwalking?
- How did Arlo’s previous relationships impact on his relationship with Petra?
- What did you think of Petra’s relationship with her parents?
- Were you satisfied with the novel’s ending?
If you liked this, you will enjoy:
- Second Chance by Jane Green
- Operation Sunshine by Jenny Colgan
- Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter
- Forget Me Not by Isabel Wolff
- More to Life Than This by Carole Matthews
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