Passing Go

by Libby Purves

On the high ground above the great city, Roy and Helen live in brittle affluence inside a weary marriage. Of their four children, three have long vanished into the sprawling, sluttish metropolis Marcus the dotcom entrepreneur, Shona the shocking Britart princess, and Danny - the one nobody will talk about. But the last child Zack itches to know more about his lost brother; and gets his chance when the smooth surfaces of family life are abruptly blown apart. Roy is sacked on his fiftieth birthday, stages an unconventional protest in the office doorway and rapidly finds himself a homeless exile in the city's darkest streets. It is Zack's chance to escape down the hill in turn, while his mother Helen makes a bizarre decision of her own.

Genres: Fiction, Family

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Libby Purves is a journalist and author who has been writing for The Times since 1982. A previous columnist of the year and author of 12 novels and non-fiction books, she was for 40 years a BBC Radio 4 broadcaster after becoming the Today programme’s first woman and youngest presenter.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy loses his job and takes to the streets in protest. His wife, in dire financial straits, takes on a job.

A moving book with a section in the middle that I found startling the first time I read it; on re-reading over sixteen years later, I recalled the general idea, and thought it very sensitively done.

A few caricatures, but they don't detract from the careful plotting and believable main characters. Issues covered are more relevant today than they were when this was published, or at least more in the public eye.

Some terminology is probably outdated, but overall I thought this an excellent book. Extremely well written, thoughtful, and with an encouraging ending.

Very highly recommended.

Full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm I wasn't really too interested in this one, to be perfectly honest. The story was good but the characters and their reactions were all too unbelievable.

[Isobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Purves - a sympathetic, common sense tale surrounding a very modern family crisis. It was interesting but not as charismatic as some of her others. I enjoyed the thread of the story concerning the fourth afterthought child - for obvious reasons!

[Ainsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, engaging tale of a family in crisis. The drama is nicely off-set with splashes of humour throughout. An enjoyable read.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. Some great characters and a few surprises.

[Sueb · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK

[spotsoftime · Rating 2 out of 5]

Libby Purves writes well and the parts of the book about the siblings were enjoyable to read, but the storyline with Roy was just too unrealistic and weak.