When Mum died, we expected that it might just squeeze into the “and finally” section of the news. This was a great misjudgment. We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of sadness and love, from all around the globe, and realised just how immensely important her books are to so many people.
Parents see themselves in the chaos of the reassuringly untidy homes and unbrushed hair she depicted. The sagas of childhood, which feel huge on the inside but appear to be nothing much from the outside, are taken seriously. These stories are a deep source of comfort in uncertain times. And right at the heart of it all, readers don’t just love her books, they love the people they have shared them with.
