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The Dispensary
It is a time to cocoon yourself. We hope this garment brings you a snippet of joy.
When things feel dark, please consider The Dispensary your light. Perhaps a weekly visit is not enough. Over the next week, try visiting every time you feel overwhelmed. It is okay if this doesn’t work well for you but perhaps it might.
Imagine a place that gives you whatever you need. A hug, perhaps. A personalized prescription, or maybe an empath who can hear you without you saying anything at all. A place that knows you better than you know yourself. A place where oak trees grow through the floor, the dispensing machine is two stories high and your counselling takes place in a ski gondola. Welcome to The Dispensary.
A fresh and unique concept like Dallergut Dream Department Store, an unusual romance like The Flatshare, and a voice reminiscent of Lessons in Chemistry, The Dispensary is contemporary book club fiction with a gentle dusting of magical realism.
Two strangers are thrown together by an alternative prescription-dispensing facility that promises exactly what they need. Maeve, embarking on a solo fertility journey, and Emmeline, following a posthumous referral from her husband, find themselves unexpectedly connected. As their friendship grows within this strange and comforting space, a quiet mystery begins to surface. When an unforeseen event threatens to unravel it all, the question can The Dispensary heal what has been broken?
Nicola Ashbrook is the author of Mae in Quinquennia (Selcouth Station), The Art of Escapology (Bearded Badger Press), and The Anatomical History of Violet Vee (Alien Buddha Press). She studied at St Wilfrids RC Primary School.
When things feel dark, please consider The Dispensary your light. Perhaps a weekly visit is not enough. Over the next week, try visiting every time you feel overwhelmed. It is okay if this doesn’t work well for you but perhaps it might.
Imagine a place that gives you whatever you need. A hug, perhaps. A personalized prescription, or maybe an empath who can hear you without you saying anything at all. A place that knows you better than you know yourself. A place where oak trees grow through the floor, the dispensing machine is two stories high and your counselling takes place in a ski gondola. Welcome to The Dispensary.
A fresh and unique concept like Dallergut Dream Department Store, an unusual romance like The Flatshare, and a voice reminiscent of Lessons in Chemistry, The Dispensary is contemporary book club fiction with a gentle dusting of magical realism.
Two strangers are thrown together by an alternative prescription-dispensing facility that promises exactly what they need. Maeve, embarking on a solo fertility journey, and Emmeline, following a posthumous referral from her husband, find themselves unexpectedly connected. As their friendship grows within this strange and comforting space, a quiet mystery begins to surface. When an unforeseen event threatens to unravel it all, the question can The Dispensary heal what has been broken?
Nicola Ashbrook is the author of Mae in Quinquennia (Selcouth Station), The Art of Escapology (Bearded Badger Press), and The Anatomical History of Violet Vee (Alien Buddha Press). She studied at St Wilfrids RC Primary School.
433 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2025
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6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 17, 2025
The Dispensary is the involving and affecting story of two women prescribed the services of The Dispensary, a mysterious and benevolent building (or organisation…or organism?) dedicated to supplying whatever is missing from our lives.
Not that those in need of the Dispensary always accept their need, or enter into the spirit of the enterprise immediately.
And, when the two quite different women are brought together at the behest of the Dispensary, the patients seem to become one another’s cure. Until events run away with themselves and a lot of searching questions are asked and answered by all concerned.
The novel alternates between the two main protagonists, moving through big changes in their lives in step, with sufficient internal insight to make the reader feel the narrative is unfolding simultaneously with both inexorable speed and in considered, sometimes agonized, real time.
The other main character in the novel is the Dispensary herself, a symbiosis of kindness and advanced technology, some of which could prove useful in other areas. Solving crimes, perhaps, in the case of Emotional Vacuuming.
If there were further stories to tell, I’d like to know more about the Dispensary, her human assistants and other recipients of her services. I’d also like to see what happens when things go badly wrong, which could make for a different kind of novel altogether.
The Dispensary is a redemptive story about the distances between losing and finding, assuming and knowing. Also how easy or hard it can be to cross these spaces.
Not that those in need of the Dispensary always accept their need, or enter into the spirit of the enterprise immediately.
And, when the two quite different women are brought together at the behest of the Dispensary, the patients seem to become one another’s cure. Until events run away with themselves and a lot of searching questions are asked and answered by all concerned.
The novel alternates between the two main protagonists, moving through big changes in their lives in step, with sufficient internal insight to make the reader feel the narrative is unfolding simultaneously with both inexorable speed and in considered, sometimes agonized, real time.
The other main character in the novel is the Dispensary herself, a symbiosis of kindness and advanced technology, some of which could prove useful in other areas. Solving crimes, perhaps, in the case of Emotional Vacuuming.
If there were further stories to tell, I’d like to know more about the Dispensary, her human assistants and other recipients of her services. I’d also like to see what happens when things go badly wrong, which could make for a different kind of novel altogether.
The Dispensary is a redemptive story about the distances between losing and finding, assuming and knowing. Also how easy or hard it can be to cross these spaces.
June 11, 2025
Fabulous book which is totally unputdownable!
So many different issues covered and some romance too. Brilliant.
So many different issues covered and some romance too. Brilliant.
September 29, 2025
Really enjoyed your page turner Nicola. Took it on holiday with me. About 2 girls looking for support after life changing events in their lives. Short chapters, so easy to pickup where you left off.
Looking forward to reading Violet Vee.
The only downside, the book is quite large physically to put into a case, that's why I gave 4 stars rather than 5.
Looking forward to reading Violet Vee.
The only downside, the book is quite large physically to put into a case, that's why I gave 4 stars rather than 5.
June 17, 2025
A pacey, emotional, thought-provoking read!! A mystery and a romance with a dash of magical realism/fantasy. If you're in any kind of reading slump, this engrossing book is a great way to break out of it. (Particularly recommended for anyone who enjoys books like The Midnight Library!)
September 6, 2025
A heartwarming and touching journey of two women experiencing emotional life events. Family drama, wit, the power of friendship and understanding that sometimes we get what we need, not what we think we want.
December 6, 2025
A unique and thoughtful story about two women who find themselves needing support from the dispensary - a sort of clinic with a personality of its own!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews