Lori & Joe

Lori and Joe have lived in a small cottage in the Lake District for twenty-five years. One day when Lori takes her husband his morning cup of coffee she finds him dead in his bed. She considers calling an ambulance but it is obviously too late so she leaves him there and goes for a walk in the fells. 

It is November and a heavy mist encompasses the fells. Lori is waiting for the light to break through, even for a short time, during her walk. As she progresses through the terrain that she knows well, Lori reflects on her life - the good and the bad. 

She reflects on her relationship with her husband who appears to have been the dominant member of their partnership. He frequently played recordings of his favourite classical music and expected her to also appreciate it though she had different musical tastes. Lori wanted a family, Joe didn't. Lori wanted a dog. Joe didn't - though he eventually allowed her to keep a cat. Lori often refers to Joe's fancy bike that resides at the end of the kitchen table. She can now move it to the shed.

But Lori also reflects on death - the people she knows who have died. She reflects on the past as well as the present. Her thoughts are revealed in short blocks and are frequently repeated, each time with a little more information. This moving backwards and forwards through Lori's memory creates a poetic effect in the writing. The heading in each chapter allows the reader to see the progress that Lori is making in the walk through the fells. The weather balances her mood. 

Lori & Joe by Amy Arnold is a one hundred and fifty page reflection on Lori's life. It is a book that should be read without interruptions to fully appreciate the flow of Lori's thoughts and the landscape of the fens.

Lori & Joe was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize in 2023. It has also been shortlisted for the 2024 James Tait Black Award for fiction.