The Keeper of Stories

Sally Page’s The Keeper of Stories (2023) is a work of adult fiction in the upmarket genre. Protagonist Janice is an empty nester and self-employed house cleaner from Cambridge, England, who likes collecting the personal histories of her clients and acquaintances. Janice’s quiet life is interrupted by a new client who wants to know her story—which Janice has kept secret since childhood. Highlighting the themes of Storytelling as a Means of Connection, The Complexities of Self-Worth, and The Paralyzing Effects of Guilt, The Keeper of Stories explores the past’s influence on the individual and the way stories impact both the narrator and the audience.

This guide refers to the 2023 edition published by Blackstone Publishing.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death by suicide, child death, physical abuse, death, substance use, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Janice, a woman in her late forties, lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband, Mike. Their grown son, Simon, is a busy professional whom they rarely see. Janice, a self-employed cleaner, takes the bus to jobs throughout the work week. She does not mind cleaning houses and enjoys coffee and conversation with her clients. Privately, Janice collects clients’ stories (personal histories) and reflects on them in quiet moments.

Among her clients are Carrie-Louise, a stylish and witty 80-year-old woman; Fiona, a kind widow with a son named Adam; Geordie Bowman, a famous opera star; and a snooty couple whom Janice privately calls “Mrs. YeahYeahYeah” and “Mr. NoNoNotNow.” While these last two are Janice’s least favorite clients, they have a fox terrier, Decius, whom Janice loves. Janice walks Decius as part of her contract; after Adam meets Decius, Fiona allows Adam to walk Decius too.

Janice focuses on her work instead of her unfulfilling marriage. With her husband continually losing jobs, Janice’s pay keeps them afloat. She allows herself to be distracted by one of the bus drivers who looks like an adventurous geography teacher.

Mrs. YeahYeahYeah talks Janice into decluttering her mother-in-law’s house, saying that the elderly woman needs help or else she may have to go to a care facility. On Janice’s first visit, the 92-year-old is rude and prying. When asked, Janice says that her favorite book is Vanity Fair; the woman, Mrs. B, demands to know if Janice is more like Becky Sharp or Amelia, two Vanity Fair characters. She also asks Janice what her story is, which takes Janice aback since she rarely considers her own story.

Mrs. B then starts a story about someone for whom she borrows the name Becky Sharp. Perturbed by Mrs. B’s bold tone, Janice flees the home, which borders one of Cambridge’s colleges. After reconsidering, Janice decides to accept the job as long as Mrs. B finishes Becky’s story. Mrs. B agrees. On her first cleaning visit, Janice mentions the news she learned from a college employee: Mrs. B’s son, Tiberius, is scheming to get Mrs. B out of her home so that he can sell it to the college for profit.

Mrs. B tells Becky’s story over several cleaning visits. Becky came from challenging socioeconomic beginnings but rose in prominence as a sex worker, eventually having affairs with important men.

Over time, Janice finds herself increasingly attracted to the bus driver, Euan. After a few awkward greetings, he eventually asks her to have tea. Janice agrees but says that she is married.

Mike, again unemployed, reveals that he spent their life savings on inventory for a startup: He plans to sell cleaning equipment and supplies and expects Janice to help him. He already called four of her clients to enlist their support. Furious at his ineptitude and audacity, Janice leaves him on the spot. Geordie Bowman needs a house sitter while traveling, so Janice stays there. When Euan texts, she agrees to meet.

Tiberius confiscates Mrs. B’s alcohol, spreading a tale that his elderly mother drinks too much. Mycroft, Mrs. B’s lawyer friend, reveals that the college will give Tiberius £2 million for his mother’s home. However, Mycroft initiates legal inquiries that stall Tiberius’s attempts. Meanwhile, Janice falls for Euan, admiring his enjoyment of cycling and travel.

Finishing Becky’s story, Mrs. B explains how Becky got away with killing a man. Janice is shocked and emotional because she also killed a man. She confesses to Mrs. B: When she was young, her father died. Later, her mother, Joy, became involved with a man, Ray, who abused her mother.

During one altercation, Janice shoved Ray down the stairs and then pushed his weights on top of him, killing him. The police never knew that it was her. Janice feels guilty because though she saved Joy from harm, she still died as a grief-stricken mother and destitute. Mrs. B insists that Janice should not feel guilty and has a porter bring brandy for Janice, who feels some relief but is still overcome by her past.

Soon after, Tiberius fires Janice from her job when she will not say why Mrs. B had brandy in her house. She explains to Fiona that she cannot bring Decius to see Adam anymore. Fiona offers Adam a new dog, which infuriates him; he runs away with Decius. Tiberius brings Adam home when Adam takes Decius to the address on the dog’s collar. Tiberius calls Janice a “simpleton” when she asks if Adam can still walk Decius, which sets Janice off. Trying to regain emotional footing, Janice realizes that she is unsuitable for a relationship with Euan and breaks it off.

Carrie-Louise passes away from a stroke, and Janice sees Mrs. B at the service. Mrs. B says that she agreed to move to an elder care facility, though she still wants Janice to clean. When Janice arrives at Mrs. B’s new residence, she is shocked to see Euan. Mrs. B, seeing that Janice’s self-punishment ended the relationship, told Euan Janice’s story. He convinces Janice that her mother’s fate was not her fault, and Decius runs into Janice’s arms; Mrs. B required Tiberius to give the dog to Janice as part of her agreeing to leave her home.

Despite the agreement, Tiberius will not get all the money for Mrs. B’s home. Mycroft’s fees are deducted from the £2 million, but Mycroft donates his payment to the college on the understanding that Mrs. B will have a say in how her old home is used. Euan gifts Janice a bicycle, a promise of their future adventures together.