by Orla Owen. 16-year-old twins, Lara (the narrator) and Luella, live in a closed world, dominated by their controlling, widowed, mother. They go to school, come home, do their chores and homework, and go to bed. That’s it. They went … Continue reading
Category Archives: Literary
The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson
by Helen Kitson. Gabrielle is twenty-years on from her best-selling novel, and the fame and riches it brought her. Now, she is a single (no children), socially isolated housekeeper for the local vicar, still haunted by the death of her … Continue reading
The Road to California
by Louise Walters. As someone who is #actuallyautistic (and has an autistic teenage son), I found Ryan 100% authentic and convincing, and loved how autism was depicted from inside the experience rather than with the veneer of people with second-hand … Continue reading
One Moment, One Morning
by Sarah Rayner. Lou, on the 7.44 Brighton to London train, witnesses a man dying across the aisle from where she’s sitting. Turfed off the train with everyone else, Lou shares a cab with Anna, a fellow passenger from a … Continue reading
This Census Taker
by China Miéville. A boy comes running into town, crying murder. He is confused and upset, and it takes a while for the townsfolk (and for him) to understand what has happened. And even then, no one’s sure. The first … Continue reading
Lost for Words
by Stephanie Butland. Loveday has a job many of us can only dream of: working in a secondhand bookshop with her kindly, caring boss, Archie. Being a social misfit, she feels safest amongst the books, and doesn’t seek out interaction … Continue reading
Me, John and a Bomb
by Debi Alper. Funny and thought-provoking in equal measure, this latest dip into the lives of the Nirvana community introduces us to John and Sky, and takes us on their journey of political activism and awakening. Not to mention a … Continue reading
Tapestry of Love
by Rosy Thornton. This story pulls the reader into the life and loves of the Cévennes, and once there, you’re hooked. By drawing vivid descriptions of the beautiful French mountains, and the people who live there, Rosy Thornton depicts the … Continue reading