Walking in Margot’s footsteps: The London locations of Your Friend and Mine

Penned by our amazing head of marketing Anabel, go on an adventure with us through London with Your Friend and Mine.

When Margot receives an email from her best friend Tess, it’s a shock, because Tess died twenty years ago. The message sends Margot back to the memories of their intense friendship and gives her a second chance to take the trip to London that she never took. Once she arrives, she’s given several letters with careful instruction that see Margot travelling all over London to scatter her friends’ ashes, each location revealing hidden truths about Tess and their friendship and awakening new truths in Margot herself.

One of the many pleasures of Your Friend and Mine is how it weaves a story of friendship and self-discovery through real London places you can still visit today. If you want to know what it might be like to follow Margot’s journey, here are three memorable stops she makes as she carries out Tess’s last wishes.

Russell Square, Bloomsbury

For her first task, Margot finds herself in the leafy calm of Russell Square in Bloomsbury, clutching a small packet of Tess’s ashes. Her instructions: leave them under the bench where Tess had her first kiss. The problem: two women deep in conversation are refusing to budge from their seat.

This pic literally took me 20 minutes to take because there were two women sitting there... just like to book!

Unlike the book they weren't talking to each other just sitting side by side looking at their phones. 

Picasso’s La Maternité, National Gallery

Tess’s next letter sends Margot to the National Gallery to stand before Picasso’s masterpiece La Maternité. Here, in the quiet of the museum, Margot reads one of Tess’s most personal confessions, one that reframes everything she thought she knew about her friend.

I took this one morning when my husband and I ran away from our kids for the morning to enjoy the art gallery as real grown-up who can look at anything for as long as we like. This painting was so beautiful in real life. 

You know you're a real word nerd when you tell your husband to take a photo of you with the bust of Alfred Lord Tennyson ;)

The Ghost Seats, Palace Theatre

At the Palace Theatre, Margot finds the so-called “ghost seats”, Seats left empty for the spirits of actors and audiences past. Here, she learns about the man who stole Tess’ heart, and broke it.

Full disclosure, these are not the ghost seats. I took this photo awkwardly crouched while my back was seizing up before anyone could see me because I'll do anything to promote excellent books. 

Mudlarking on the Thames

One of Margot’s most unexpected tasks takes her mudlarking along the banks of the Thames with Tess’ brother Leo. Mudlarking is the activity of scouring the exposed riverbed at low tide for historical fragments, from centuries-old pottery to Victorian buttons.  

I cannot tell you how much I bored my family every time we saw people mudlarking by saying 'mudlarking' in a terrible British accent. Unfortunately you can only do it with a tour and they were all sold out! Next time. 

These places are just a few Margot visits in Your Friend and Mine.  the touchstones in Margot’s journey, but they remind us that the city holds countless stories—some waiting to

be remembered, others still waiting to be written.

Your Friend and Mine by Jessica Dettmann is available now.

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Your Friend and Mine

by Jessica Dettmann

A warm, witty and wise novel about second chances, friendship and romance.

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