finished reading

This coming-of-age story is about puzzles and solutions, about thinking outside of the box.  And outside of the box fits the found family trope of this charming novel.  With a dual narrative between the present and twenty-five years ago, it's the story of how the pieces fit together to create a life.  I liked the main characters of Pippa and Clayton, a mother-son duo.  But all of the secondary characters are quirky and interesting.

From the publisher:

An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us.

Clayton Stumper might be in his twenties, but he dresses like your grandpa and fusses like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton’s life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. 

So begins Clay’s quest to uncover the secrets surrounding his birth, secrets that will change Clay—and the Fellowship—forever.The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is pure joy, a story about love and family and what it means to find your people—no matter what age you are.

#52BookClub prompt 33: Related to the word "Puzzle"