Everybody Needs a Friend

Kate Atkinson always comes through, and this book is no exception. The dual story line keeps one churning along, beckoning you to see what will be divulged on the next page. A teeny spoiler here: one hero picks up a dog in his travels and the other, a kid. Kate used good old flashbacks to tell the backstories, and we did learn a lot about when, why, and how. But who? I felt that one of the flashback personae kind of didn't match the current-day protagonist, and that was what nagged at me throughout. It was still a good book, and part of the plot was tied up with a bow at the end, but the giant elephant in the room, alas, was left standing there awkwardly. Maybe to be continued in a later book? That would be satisfying.