‘The Cactus’ by Sarah Haywood

Susan Green has a perfectly ordered life. She has a flat ideal for one, a job that suits her passion for logic, and a relationship that is intimate enough, but also not too demanding–until, of course, she finds herself in a messy situation that begins to spiral her life out of control. Just as Susan discovers that she will become a mother herself, her own mother passes away, leaving everything to her lazy brother who has always been a torment to her. As her family problems escalate and her due date approaches, the usually prickly heroine Susan finds help and discovery in the most unlikely of places.

There’s been a run on humorous and charming novels about quirky emotionally isolated and overly practical protagonists in the last number of years. The Rosie Project was the first one so it was praised for its originality and the fact that the main voice was male.  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, was actually less of a love story, and focused more on community and human connection. What I liked about this one was the deadpan humour and some interesting twists and turns, in addition to the pleasingly inevitable outcome! Thanks for the suggestion Pam!