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An Unlikely Visitor

By Joanna Cannon
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Brief Description
‘Moving, funny, compassionate and wise. An Unlikely Visitor made me laugh, cry and left me filled with hope’ ELIZABETH DAY 'A perfect book for today’s world’ SARAH WINMAN ‘Heartbreaking, life-affirming and funny all at the same time’ JANE FALLON MARGARET THINKS HER TIME IS UP… BUT... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
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‘Moving, funny, compassionate and wise. An Unlikely Visitor made me laugh, cry and left me filled with hope’ ELIZABETH DAY

'A perfect book for today’s world’ SARAH WINMAN

‘Heartbreaking, life-affirming and funny all at the same time’ JANE FALLON

MARGARET THINKS HER TIME IS UP… BUT MAYBE HER TIME IS NOW?

Things have been hard since her husband Derek died, and they never really got over the disappearance of their daughter, Jeanie, all those years ago.

Despite everything, they built a lovely life together… it’s just starting to feel impossible for Margaret on her own.

Then one day, Margaret returns home to an unlikely visitor, and together they set out to discover what really happened to Jeanie.

Perhaps if you knock on enough doors, you might find another end to your story…

'Poignant' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE

'Compelling' MAIL ON SUNDAY, BEST NEW FICTION

It's not always about the destination… join Joanna Cannon's readers on a profoundly moving emotional journey:

'A book that invites you to slow down… will leave you feeling both tearful and inspired' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

'Wonderfully comforting' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

'This is a wonderful book, and it will stay with me for a very long time' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

'Tender and poignant' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

'I laughed and cried and could not put the book down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

'A very special book that will have the reader crying, laughing… and feeling every other possible emotion' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

More praise for Joanna Cannon:

‘An Unlikely Visitor feels like a surreal collaboration between Alan Bennett, Alice Sebold, and a Derbyshire Elizabeth Strout’ PATRICK GALE

‘In An Unlikely Visitor Joanna Cannon treats weighty subjects – grief, loss, victimhood – with a light touch and her characteristic compassion and humour’ CLARE CHAMBERS

‘Emotional, sweet, funny, hauntingly sad and poignant’ SARA COX

‘Lovely, lovely, lovely… Sue Townsend meets Kate Atkinson meets Nina Stibbe’ MARIAN KEYES

‘An utter delight’ SARAH WINMAN

‘A joy and a triumph’ RACHEL JOYCE

‘Charming, wise and profoundly human’ ERIN KELLY

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780008255084

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 June 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: The Borough Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 420g

Pages: 336

Collections

Coming Soon in Fiction Fiction General Fiction Humour Joanna Cannon Literary Fiction Pre-order Books Pre-order General Fiction Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

Joanna Cannon's first two novels, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things about Elsie, were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. She worked as a hospital doctor before specialising in psychiatry, and lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog.

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