Reluctant Phoenix (by Helen Parker)

(Amazon UK link)

I had read two of Helen Parker’s novels for older children, and liked her writing style very much. I saw that she had written a novel for adults, so put it on my wishlist and was given it for Christmas. I’ve been reading ‘Reluctant Phoenix’ over the past few days.

There are two main protagonists, Heather and Beth. They’re around the same age, I assume in their early twenties, but very different in personality. And in the first few chapters we meet them in very different circumstances.

At the start of the book, Heather is studying Arabic in Cairo, in January 2011. This is when the Egyptian revolution began, and Heather is caught up in it right at the start. She’s initially nervous, then worried… then makes a bad decision which ends in disaster for one of her friends. 

We first meet Beth eighteen months later, in Edinburgh, in June 2012. She’s sleeping in her car, and considers herself homeless; yet she evidently has plenty of money. It’s clear that she’s suffered some trauma, but we don’t know what happened until much later in the book. She’s building a mental wall around herself, unwilling to let anyone behind it… except for a dog who has adopted her, whom she calls Soul. 

And then there’s Gregor, Heather’s father, but clearly estranged from her. He has just a few short sections, told in the present tense to make them stand out. We meet him in June 2012, too, writing emails to his daughter, with no idea whether she will read them. He is also in Edinburgh, and lives a somewhat solitary life. We learn in his first section that he came to the rescue of a young woman about his daughter’s age who had sprained her ankle.

The chapters mostly switch between Heather and Beth, and I liked the way that their personalities shine through. Heather is enthusiastic and emotional, and likes to have a lot of friends. Beth is quieter, more thoughtful and, despite living in her car, doesn’t seem to be lonely. 

It’s quickly evident that Beth is the person who was helped by Gregor. Then they bump into each other again, both out walking their dogs, and get into conversation. Gregor is a historian, passionate about his subject, and in the course of their discussion we learn that Beth’s father died recently.  There’s a brief flashback of Beth as a child, going out sledging with her father, and then visiting her mother in hospital. 

In the aftermath of the riots Heather observes, the Arabic classes close, and she returns to Edinburgh where she finds a flat, and a job as a physiotherapist. Her father has no idea she’s back from Egypt. Inevitably she meets Beth, initially in her professional capacity, and the two quickly become friends. While they’re unalike as people, they both have secrets in their past, things about their families that they’re not willing to confront. And they both love dogs.

I did find the earlier part of the book slightly confusing with the differing dates - though each chapter is clearly marked with both date and place - and with the many people Heather relates to in Egypt. But in part that shows her outgoing nature, and the busy-ness of the place even away from the riots. The city is described in a way that feels realistic and dramatic; Helen Parker lived in Egypt for some years, so this is not based on research, but on her own memories and experiences. It contrasts authentically with the calmer - but significantly colder - atmosphere in Edinburgh. 

There are some coincidences in the book, starting with the fact that both Heather and Gregor meet Beth, entirely independently, in a large city. But it’s done in a way that seems believable. Other coincidences, later in the story, left me a tad cynical; yet such things could happen - and they make for a very good story. I found it difficult to put down once I had started. The writing is excellent, the past unfolding gradually through various events. 

There are some very tense scenes, including one or two that are quite disturbing, and a lot of poignancy that I wasn’t expecting. The descriptive passages are just right, in my view, to give impressions of places without too much detail. The conversations ring true - even if sometimes they have a little too much repetition - and I loved the way that different friendships and relationships unfold. 

There are some very low-key romantic elements to the book, with nothing remotely explicit. Even a kiss, towards the end, is only hinted at. There’s no bad language at all. This is the kind of book I would happily lend to teenage friends - and it’s one that is likely to have lasting interest from a historical perspective, due to the initial setting in Cairo early in 2011.

All in all, I thought this an excellent novel, and I would recommend it highly. 

Review copyright 2026 Sue's Book Reviews