Pattern in the Carpet

This unique blend of memoir and history takes “a multi-layered look at jigsaw puzzles . . . charming [and] fascinating” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Award-winning author Margaret Drabble weaves her own story into a history of games, in particular jigsaws, which have offered her and many others relief from melancholy and depression. Alongside curious facts and discoveries—for example, that the 1929 stock market crash was followed by a boom in puzzle sales—Drabble introduces us to her beloved Auntie Phyl, and describes childhood visits to the house in Long Bennington on the Great North Road, their first trip to London together, the books they read, and the jigsaws they completed.

With penetrating sketches of her parents, siblings, and children, Drabble shares her thoughts on the importance of childhood play, art and writing, aging and memory. And she does so with her customary intelligence, energy, and wit.