The Lady in the Van – Alan Bennett
Yesterday I bought and read, within the space of about an hour, a little copy of Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van. It’s an amazing tale, and if I didn’t know for an absolute fact that it is true (I remember seeing newspaper reports) then I would have had trouble deciding whether it was fact or fiction.
Here is what the BBC, promoting its recording of the story, has to say:
…the strange story of his unusual neighbour as heard on BBC Radio 4. An eccentric old lady moves into a quiet street in Camden Town. There she remains, installed in her van in glorious self-sufficiency until the council instructs her to move on. A kind home owner invites her to live in his garden. A bizarre tale in itself but even more bizarre when writer Alan Bennett is the homeowner and the woman stays for fifteen years. What kind of bond could two such different people possibly form? Both fascinating and moving, Bennett recounts the unlikely story of Mary Shepherd, the nomad who took a unique place in his life for well over a decade.
I’d also recommend Three Stories, which I read on holiday in St Ives last year in the space of one evening. It’s deceptively light and entertaining. I think you’d enjoy it.