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Effra: a love story
A fast-moving modern fairytale, Effra: a love story brings together a sly present-day squatter, a young man lost in London – and something bigger and nastier than both of them – all unified by loss and a hunger for greater things.
Their story plays out above the lost rivers of London, buried waterways that have loaned their names to the city’s streets. Rivers such as the Fleet, the Wandle, and the titular Effra map the currents of the narrative, drawing the characters into a deeper discovery of old and new London.
Effra: a love story is about losing what you wanted most, and finding more than you imagined.
Their story plays out above the lost rivers of London, buried waterways that have loaned their names to the city’s streets. Rivers such as the Fleet, the Wandle, and the titular Effra map the currents of the narrative, drawing the characters into a deeper discovery of old and new London.
Effra: a love story is about losing what you wanted most, and finding more than you imagined.
- GenresFantasy
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 2011
About the author
Greg Roughan
3 books12 followersGreg Roughan is an author and editor who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Currently the managing editor of a content marketing firm, he's also worked as newspaper and magazine editor, travel writer, and sub-editor. He loves the outdoors, knows more about wildlife than he needs to, and loves to dive, hunt and hike - especially with his two young children and partner. His first novel, Effra, was set in London where he worked for several years and is set around buried waters such as the Fleet, Effra and Wandle - the 'lost rivers' that still flow beneath the famous streets to which they've loaned their names. His second and third books are part of a Young Adult series about Beth Singer, a 14-year-old girl kidnapped in the Far East.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 19, 2018
Genre - Contemporary Fiction/Fantasy
Pages - 370
Publication Info - GregRoughan.com, December 30, 2011
Format - Kindle
Stars - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Effra: A Novel” by Greg Roughan is a bit of an enigma straddling between contemporary fiction and fantasy. It’s a somewhat peculiar and quirky love story filled with anxiety, menace and a very atmospheric tone. Greg masterfully guides us through the streets and underground of London with seamless, flowing and skillful wordcraft. A very engaging read that will put you in a seat as you ride “The Underground” or “Tube” around London; and you will hear the clickety-clack of the rail; or the muffled noises and discussions taking place in the local pub. Greg has the ability to let the reader take a part in the experience and makes you take participation in many of the activities. I haven’t done drug or had a drink in many years, but whilst reading this book I revisited those experiences from my past and was quite drunk in my imagination. It was also fun to revisit London and Luton which I fondly remember from my 3 years living in and traveling around Great Britain. This was just a fun, well written bit of literature that I highly recommend.
Greg Roughan is an author and editor who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Effra is his first novel. He has also penned a Young Adult Adventure Series.
From the back cover: Effra tells the story of young Londoners living above buried waters - rivers like the Fleet, the Effra, and the Wandle that loaned their names to the city's famous streets, and run beneath them still.
When a newcomer to the city moves into a shared flat near Brixton’s Effra Rd, life seems suddenly full of promise. A new relationship, new friends and a new job all press Finn far beyond his comfort zone. Yet amongst all the promise of this London summer a thread of darkness worms its way. What’s driving the group of squatters that eke a living at the city’s fringes? And what is the sinister sense of purpose that's begun to stir beneath them all?
Effra is a story of modern lives in one of the world’s most ancient cities; a tale of the passion and obsession that can grip you when everything you cherish is at stake...
Pages - 370
Publication Info - GregRoughan.com, December 30, 2011
Format - Kindle
Stars - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Effra: A Novel” by Greg Roughan is a bit of an enigma straddling between contemporary fiction and fantasy. It’s a somewhat peculiar and quirky love story filled with anxiety, menace and a very atmospheric tone. Greg masterfully guides us through the streets and underground of London with seamless, flowing and skillful wordcraft. A very engaging read that will put you in a seat as you ride “The Underground” or “Tube” around London; and you will hear the clickety-clack of the rail; or the muffled noises and discussions taking place in the local pub. Greg has the ability to let the reader take a part in the experience and makes you take participation in many of the activities. I haven’t done drug or had a drink in many years, but whilst reading this book I revisited those experiences from my past and was quite drunk in my imagination. It was also fun to revisit London and Luton which I fondly remember from my 3 years living in and traveling around Great Britain. This was just a fun, well written bit of literature that I highly recommend.
Greg Roughan is an author and editor who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Effra is his first novel. He has also penned a Young Adult Adventure Series.
From the back cover: Effra tells the story of young Londoners living above buried waters - rivers like the Fleet, the Effra, and the Wandle that loaned their names to the city's famous streets, and run beneath them still.
When a newcomer to the city moves into a shared flat near Brixton’s Effra Rd, life seems suddenly full of promise. A new relationship, new friends and a new job all press Finn far beyond his comfort zone. Yet amongst all the promise of this London summer a thread of darkness worms its way. What’s driving the group of squatters that eke a living at the city’s fringes? And what is the sinister sense of purpose that's begun to stir beneath them all?
Effra is a story of modern lives in one of the world’s most ancient cities; a tale of the passion and obsession that can grip you when everything you cherish is at stake...
January 12, 2021
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A guy that has trouble sleeping moves into a new flat in London, and learns things he wishes he didn't.
A guy that has trouble sleeping moves into a new flat in London, and learns things he wishes he didn't.
January 25, 2018
"Effra" by Greg Roughan was quite a different book for a reader like me, someone who typically goes for heavy-genre fiction (you know, a nerd). So my review comes from the perspective of someone untuned to this style of tale - a blank canvas, you might say.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
After finishing the novel, I'm left satisfied, but I did have to wade through certain chapters. Despite this, I was gripped enough to finish the book, and I certainly would have put it down was I disengaged. And, perhaps most importantly, I leave it feeling like I can say I enjoyed the novel, and was intrigued by the concepts it discusses. Indeed, I'm left wanting more - off to Wikipedia with me!
PROS
There are a number of key concepts dripping through "Effra" that are highly discussion-worthy, and you get the sense that the author has definitely had more than a few nights with drink in hand debating the ideas through to the wee hours. Roughan's passion is clearly evident in the story, and you get the feeling it was a book crafted from a love of and fascination with London. It's no schlock cobbled together from Google snippets and other people's opinions.
Additionally, the prose is well-written. It might seem like a small thing, but it really does make a world of difference to journey through a book with some proper skill behind it, and - again - passion. Although I spotted a couple of unobtrusive typos, I appreciated the craft of the words and the effort put into their making.
CONS
As you might glean from other reviews, "Effra" is a slow burner. I found, essentially, the first half of the book to be of significantly less interest than the second - where things start to take a turn for the supernatural. Perhaps this is borne from my personal love of genre (and thus, the lack of it leaves a hole in my nerdy engagement levels), but I found myself slogging through certain chapters of the book where not much - to my perception - was happening.
My only other gripe would be that the climactic scene is over and done with rather quickly. Things get highly intense for the finale, but its abrupt. I feel there was a real opportunity to explore more of what the book is based on (which I shan't mention for spoiler reasons), but that this was unfortunately missed. Perhaps this is because my nerd brain desired a supernatural horror set beneath the rainy London streets, whereas what "Effra" is trying to be is a slice of modern life in busy London, with the supernatural element serving as a dramatic catalyst and intriguing side story, rather than a genre to be hugged tight.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
If you run any kind of reading group, I'd urge you to share a copy of "Effra" around. I imagine it will be quite the conversation starter, and should stimulate intellectual minds.
I also believe "Effra" will appeal to people with a passion for London, and who enjoy modern stories about modern people.
If you're a genre nerd like myself, I'd say it's more of a gamble - you might find the first half boring, but it certainly picks up.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
After finishing the novel, I'm left satisfied, but I did have to wade through certain chapters. Despite this, I was gripped enough to finish the book, and I certainly would have put it down was I disengaged. And, perhaps most importantly, I leave it feeling like I can say I enjoyed the novel, and was intrigued by the concepts it discusses. Indeed, I'm left wanting more - off to Wikipedia with me!
PROS
There are a number of key concepts dripping through "Effra" that are highly discussion-worthy, and you get the sense that the author has definitely had more than a few nights with drink in hand debating the ideas through to the wee hours. Roughan's passion is clearly evident in the story, and you get the feeling it was a book crafted from a love of and fascination with London. It's no schlock cobbled together from Google snippets and other people's opinions.
Additionally, the prose is well-written. It might seem like a small thing, but it really does make a world of difference to journey through a book with some proper skill behind it, and - again - passion. Although I spotted a couple of unobtrusive typos, I appreciated the craft of the words and the effort put into their making.
CONS
As you might glean from other reviews, "Effra" is a slow burner. I found, essentially, the first half of the book to be of significantly less interest than the second - where things start to take a turn for the supernatural. Perhaps this is borne from my personal love of genre (and thus, the lack of it leaves a hole in my nerdy engagement levels), but I found myself slogging through certain chapters of the book where not much - to my perception - was happening.
My only other gripe would be that the climactic scene is over and done with rather quickly. Things get highly intense for the finale, but its abrupt. I feel there was a real opportunity to explore more of what the book is based on (which I shan't mention for spoiler reasons), but that this was unfortunately missed. Perhaps this is because my nerd brain desired a supernatural horror set beneath the rainy London streets, whereas what "Effra" is trying to be is a slice of modern life in busy London, with the supernatural element serving as a dramatic catalyst and intriguing side story, rather than a genre to be hugged tight.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
If you run any kind of reading group, I'd urge you to share a copy of "Effra" around. I imagine it will be quite the conversation starter, and should stimulate intellectual minds.
I also believe "Effra" will appeal to people with a passion for London, and who enjoy modern stories about modern people.
If you're a genre nerd like myself, I'd say it's more of a gamble - you might find the first half boring, but it certainly picks up.
May 13, 2018
I was slow getting started with Effra>, and then put it aside for awhile, but maybe that was for the better. When I came back to it, the parts I'd already read were entirely unfamiliar, as if my memory had held on to the least significant parts of the story. Since the whole book is about revealing what's hidden, often in plain sight, the second look made the experience of reading more complete.
So, it's a novel about life in modern-day London. It's also about the older versions of London, and all the changes and all the layers that put a modern city on top of a once-natural place. I entered the drawing for this book because I'm intrigued by the notion of rivers hidden under a city - and rest assured, there's plenty of information about the Effra and its siblings.
The modern story is told by an entirely unsympathetic protagonist as he learns more about the hidden parts of London. His story drags in some places, but so does his life, so perhaps that's appropriate. I may have liked it better with out the many, many scenes of drug use - but that's because reading about people using drugs is as boring as talking to people who are using drugs when one isn't into that sort of thing. But that means, once again, that the experience of reading feels like being in the moment with the characters - so perhaps this is a compliment rather than criticism.
I'm glad I read it. I received a copy via the Goodreads First Reads program, but I would have been content with it even if I'd bought it. I probably won't re-read it any time soon - but if I do, I'm sure the book will reveal things I overlooked the first time.
So, it's a novel about life in modern-day London. It's also about the older versions of London, and all the changes and all the layers that put a modern city on top of a once-natural place. I entered the drawing for this book because I'm intrigued by the notion of rivers hidden under a city - and rest assured, there's plenty of information about the Effra and its siblings.
The modern story is told by an entirely unsympathetic protagonist as he learns more about the hidden parts of London. His story drags in some places, but so does his life, so perhaps that's appropriate. I may have liked it better with out the many, many scenes of drug use - but that's because reading about people using drugs is as boring as talking to people who are using drugs when one isn't into that sort of thing. But that means, once again, that the experience of reading feels like being in the moment with the characters - so perhaps this is a compliment rather than criticism.
I'm glad I read it. I received a copy via the Goodreads First Reads program, but I would have been content with it even if I'd bought it. I probably won't re-read it any time soon - but if I do, I'm sure the book will reveal things I overlooked the first time.
May 10, 2018
goodreads win - good read as well
October 5, 2025
I received a copy of this ebook from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. This book was one of the new unique I have read in recent years.. Having lived in London for a year, I loved the dialogue and fun facts about London’s history. This book reads like the postmodern greats like fight club. It takes a while to get going, but once it starts, you won’t be able to put it down!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews