Book Club for Women

Book of the Month

Meeting September 7th, 2026

19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST

The TABB Book Club brings women together through monthly online discussions of fiction, memoirs and recovery-inspired books. It's a welcoming space for connection, reflection and conversation within our alcohol-free community.
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon (2016)

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is a warm, intriguing and quietly moving novel that explores community, belonging and the secrets that can lie beneath the surface of ordinary lives. Set during the long, hot summer of 1976, the story follows ten-year-old Grace and her friend Tilly as they set out to discover what has happened to a neighbour who has mysteriously disappeared.

With Joanna Cannon's sharp observation, gentle humour and compassion, the novel gradually reveals the tensions, prejudices and hidden histories within a seemingly ordinary English street. As Grace and Tilly search for answers, they begin to uncover far more about their neighbours — and about the complicated ways we judge and misunderstand one another.

Blending mystery with warmth and moments of humour, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep explores themes of friendship, prejudice, guilt, acceptance and the human need to belong. It asks us to consider how quickly communities can divide people into those who fit in and those who do not — the "sheep" and the "goats".

Thought-provoking, tender and filled with memorable characters, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep offers plenty to reflect on and discuss, making it an excellent choice for book club readers.
Joanna Cannon is a British novelist and former psychiatrist, known for her warm, perceptive fiction exploring human behaviour, belonging and the complexities hidden beneath everyday life. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a hospital doctor specialising in psychiatry, an experience that has strongly influenced her compassionate approach to characters and their stories.

She achieved widespread acclaim with her debut novel, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, published in 2016 and becoming a Sunday Times bestseller. Her other novels include Three Things About Elsie and A Tidy Ending, both praised for their distinctive characters, gentle humour and insightful exploration of loneliness, memory and human connection.

Throughout her writing, Cannon brings curiosity and empathy to people who may feel overlooked, misunderstood or out of place. Her work frequently explores themes of friendship, community, identity and belonging, combining humour and mystery with thoughtful observations about the way we see ourselves and others.

Born in Derbyshire, Joanna Cannon initially left school at fifteen before later returning to education and training as a doctor. Her unusual journey into medicine and then writing has helped shape a distinctive literary voice rooted in empathy, observation and a fascination with what it means to belong.
Book Club Questions

  1. The story is largely seen through the eyes of ten-year-old Grace. How did having a child’s perspective affect the way you understood the adults and the events unfolding around her?

  2. The title, **The Trouble with Goats and Sheep**, is central to the novel. What do you think the “goats” and “sheep” represent? Did your interpretation change as you read?

  3. The novel is set during the exceptionally hot summer of 1976. How does the heat contribute to the atmosphere of the story and the growing tension within the community?

  4. Grace and Tilly begin by trying to solve the mystery of Mrs Creasy’s disappearance. What do they discover about their neighbours — and about human nature — along the way?

  5. Belonging is one of the novel’s strongest themes. What determines who is accepted within this community and who is treated as an outsider?

  6. The residents of the Avenue make assumptions about one another based on appearances, rumours and past events. Which of your own assumptions about a character were challenged as the story progressed?

  7. Walter Bishop occupies a particularly difficult position within the neighbourhood. How did your feelings towards him change throughout the novel?

  8. Secrets and silence play an important role in the story. Why do you think the residents are so determined to protect certain versions of the past?

  9. Grace and Tilly have very different personalities. What do you think each girl brings to their friendship, and what does their relationship add to the novel?

  10. Joanna Cannon uses humour alongside some quite serious and uncomfortable themes. How did this balance affect your experience of the story?

  11. The novel explores how easily people can be labelled as different, strange or unacceptable. Why do you think communities sometimes need an outsider — someone who doesn’t quite belong?

  12. Religion and the search for God become part of Grace and Tilly’s investigation. What do you think the novel is saying about goodness, morality and the difference between being seen as “good” and actually behaving well?

  13. Many of the adults are carrying guilt, regret or fear from the past. Which character did you sympathise with most, and did your loyalties change as more of the truth was revealed?

  14. Although the novel is set in 1976, its themes of gossip, judgement, exclusion and the desire to belong remain very relevant. In what ways do you think the story would look different if it took place today?

  15. After finishing the novel, who do you think are really the “goats” and who are the “sheep”? Or is the point that the distinction is never as simple as we would like it to be?
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