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Little Egypt
Salt Publishing are proud to present Little Egypt, the twelfth novel by the immensely talented Lesley Glaister. Winner of the Somerset Maugham, Betty Trask and Yorkshire Post Author of the Year prizes, Glaister’s work has also been on numerous literary award short and longlists over the years, and several of her dramas have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Little Egypt is a once well-to-do country house. Now derelict and trapped on a small island of land between a railway, a dual carriageway and a superstore, it looks deserted ... but it isn’t. Nonagenarian twins, Isis and Osiris, now in their nineties, still live in Little Egypt, the home they were born in. For their long lives they have always remained here, guarding a terrible secret.
Back in the 1920s, Isis and Osiris lived in Little Egypt with their obsessive Egyptologist parents, Evelyn and Arthur, this apparently idyllic sprawl of a dwelling hiding the secrets of a dysfunctional family life. When Evelyn and Arthur leave home to search for the fabled tomb of Herihor, the twins are left with housekeeper Mary to wonder when their reckless, self-centred parents will return. Isis is lonely and anxious about her twin, Osiris who, desperate to impress his parents, has developed a similar passion for all things Egyptian, and is convinced they will return successful from their quest — rich and famous. And then there’s Uncle Victor, returned from the war in a state of hyper-sensitivity, invading their lives with his perplexing moods and erratic affections. Without really considering the consequences, Victor, Isis and Osiris set off for Egypt to search for Evelyn and Arthur, setting in motion a chain of events which will dramatically change all of their lives forever.
Now, in 2002, living in a state of destitution, the elderly twins’ lives seem to be drawing to a lost and miserable close — until a chance meeting between Isis and young American anarchist Spike, sparks an unlikely friendship and proves a catalyst for change.
Looping between the 1920s and the present day, Little Egypt is a beautifully-observed novel about the loss of innocence, parental neglect and the eternal human quest to ‘belong’. By turns poignantly humorous, deeply moving and mysterious, it also evokes the wonder and majesty of Howard Carter’s Egypt on the cusp of Western discovery. This enormously accomplished novel took twenty years to come to fruition: it is well worth the wait.
Little Egypt is a once well-to-do country house. Now derelict and trapped on a small island of land between a railway, a dual carriageway and a superstore, it looks deserted ... but it isn’t. Nonagenarian twins, Isis and Osiris, now in their nineties, still live in Little Egypt, the home they were born in. For their long lives they have always remained here, guarding a terrible secret.
Back in the 1920s, Isis and Osiris lived in Little Egypt with their obsessive Egyptologist parents, Evelyn and Arthur, this apparently idyllic sprawl of a dwelling hiding the secrets of a dysfunctional family life. When Evelyn and Arthur leave home to search for the fabled tomb of Herihor, the twins are left with housekeeper Mary to wonder when their reckless, self-centred parents will return. Isis is lonely and anxious about her twin, Osiris who, desperate to impress his parents, has developed a similar passion for all things Egyptian, and is convinced they will return successful from their quest — rich and famous. And then there’s Uncle Victor, returned from the war in a state of hyper-sensitivity, invading their lives with his perplexing moods and erratic affections. Without really considering the consequences, Victor, Isis and Osiris set off for Egypt to search for Evelyn and Arthur, setting in motion a chain of events which will dramatically change all of their lives forever.
Now, in 2002, living in a state of destitution, the elderly twins’ lives seem to be drawing to a lost and miserable close — until a chance meeting between Isis and young American anarchist Spike, sparks an unlikely friendship and proves a catalyst for change.
Looping between the 1920s and the present day, Little Egypt is a beautifully-observed novel about the loss of innocence, parental neglect and the eternal human quest to ‘belong’. By turns poignantly humorous, deeply moving and mysterious, it also evokes the wonder and majesty of Howard Carter’s Egypt on the cusp of Western discovery. This enormously accomplished novel took twenty years to come to fruition: it is well worth the wait.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2014
8 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Glaister
47 books401 followersNovelist Lesley Glaister was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. She grew up in Suffolk, moving to Sheffield with her first husband, where she took a degree with the Open University. She was 'discovered' by the novelist Hilary Mantel when she attended a course given by the Arvon Foundation in 1989. Mantel was so impressed by her writing that she recommended her to her own literary agent.
Lesley Glaister's first novel, Honour Thy Father (1990), won both a Somerset Maugham Award and a Betty Trask Award. Her other novels include Trick or Treat (1991), Limestone and Clay (1993), for which she was awarded the Yorkshire Post Book Award (Yorkshire Author of the Year), Partial Eclipse (1994) and The Private Parts of Women (1996), Now You See Me (2001), the story of the unlikely relationship between Lamb, a former patient in a psychiatric ward, and Doggo, a fugitive on the run from the police, As Far as You Can Go (2004), a psychological drama, in which a young couple, Graham and Cassie, travel to a remote part of Australia to take up a caretaking job, only to be drawn into the dark secrets of their mysterious employers. Nina Todd Has Gone (2007) was another complex psychological thriller. Chosen, a dark and suspenseful book about a woman trying to rescue her brother from a cult, was followed by Little Egypt in 2014. This novel - set in the 20's in Northern England and Egypt, won a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. Her next novel, The Squeeze, published 2017, centres on a relationship between a teenage Romanian sex-worker - a victim of trafficking - and a law-abiding, family man from Oslo. It's an unusual and (of course, twisted!) love story. Because not all love is romantic. In 2020 Blasted Things was published. This one is set just after World War 1 and is about the warping after-effects of a global war on society and on individuals. The two main characters, Clementine and Vincent, both damaged in different ways, must find their way in the post-war period. For them this results in a most peculiar kind of relationship and one that can only end in distaster.
Lesley Glaister lives with her husband in Edinburgh with frequent sojourns in Orkney. She has three sons and teaches Creative Writing at the University or St Andrews. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Lesley Glaister's first novel, Honour Thy Father (1990), won both a Somerset Maugham Award and a Betty Trask Award. Her other novels include Trick or Treat (1991), Limestone and Clay (1993), for which she was awarded the Yorkshire Post Book Award (Yorkshire Author of the Year), Partial Eclipse (1994) and The Private Parts of Women (1996), Now You See Me (2001), the story of the unlikely relationship between Lamb, a former patient in a psychiatric ward, and Doggo, a fugitive on the run from the police, As Far as You Can Go (2004), a psychological drama, in which a young couple, Graham and Cassie, travel to a remote part of Australia to take up a caretaking job, only to be drawn into the dark secrets of their mysterious employers. Nina Todd Has Gone (2007) was another complex psychological thriller. Chosen, a dark and suspenseful book about a woman trying to rescue her brother from a cult, was followed by Little Egypt in 2014. This novel - set in the 20's in Northern England and Egypt, won a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. Her next novel, The Squeeze, published 2017, centres on a relationship between a teenage Romanian sex-worker - a victim of trafficking - and a law-abiding, family man from Oslo. It's an unusual and (of course, twisted!) love story. Because not all love is romantic. In 2020 Blasted Things was published. This one is set just after World War 1 and is about the warping after-effects of a global war on society and on individuals. The two main characters, Clementine and Vincent, both damaged in different ways, must find their way in the post-war period. For them this results in a most peculiar kind of relationship and one that can only end in distaster.
Lesley Glaister lives with her husband in Edinburgh with frequent sojourns in Orkney. She has three sons and teaches Creative Writing at the University or St Andrews. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 21, 2014
The Little Egypt of the title is actually a British country manor, the home of 13-year-old twins Isis and Osiris, whose parents are (unsurprisingly...) obsessive Egyptologists. They abandon the children for months on end while they search across Egypt for an elusive tomb, leaving Isis and Osi, the latter also something of an Egypt enthusiast, in the care of put-upon maid Mary and louche Uncle Victor. The narrative of this novel splits itself between the aforementioned situation, taking place in the 1920s (I don't think the year is specified, but mentions of Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb date it to 1922/23) and 2002, when the twins are in their nineties. Isis has become an eccentric hoarder and hasn't spoken to Osi in ten years - despite the fact that they still share the same house - but things are changing: she's being pressured to sell Little Egypt by a developer who wants to build a huge supermarket on the land; concerns about Osi's health may force her to venture upstairs for the first time in years; a new friendship with a young anarchist might give her the confidence to finally make a decision about the future of Little Egypt.
This is the first book I've read by Lesley Glaister, and there is no doubt she has a wonderful way with words. A horse's coat is 'mottled like a rainy pavement'; when Isis enters a quiet room, it is filled with 'a thick hush like fur'; the sounds made by budgies are 'hard chips of glassy noise that rattled against her teeth'. The devil is in the detail. Isis herself is a beautifully created character, more effective as a teenager in the 1920s sections than as a nonagenarian in 2002, but never less than engaging, and frequently admirable. Her story is a difficult, unhappy one, but Glaister makes it compelling.
There's a negative review of Little Egypt on Goodreads which says it seems too much like a YA novel, and I get what that reviewer is driving at: it's not really that the style or tone makes it feel like YA, but the fact that obvious obstacles to the plot making any sense are swept under the carpet without explanation. The sort of things that you wouldn't question in a kids' book, but as an adult reader, you don't expect to encounter such blatant lack of explanation unless it has a purpose. For example...
In addition to the implausibility of some of the plot points, I thought the story was just so depressing. This isn't something I would normally say about a book - I usually find this kind of judgement a bit inane - but in this case, I just couldn't shake the feeling. The fate of Little Egypt, Isis and Osi's whole lives, really - even the very end, which I guess is supposed to represent some final, not-too-late bit of happiness: all were so sad and empty. I was left with a hollow feeling at the end of the book; I just wished things could have been different for almost everyone in the story, particularly Isis. (Though this is a compliment, in a way, because if Isis's character hadn't been so well-formed, I would have cared less about what became of her.)
I find myself with more negative things to say about Little Egypt than positive ones (and I haven't yet mentioned the surfeit of continuity errors and spelling mistakes in the book), but I still feel the need to stress that I did enjoy it. I'd read more by the author - I enjoyed her style here more than the content, and would like to see it applied to a less dispiriting story.
This is the first book I've read by Lesley Glaister, and there is no doubt she has a wonderful way with words. A horse's coat is 'mottled like a rainy pavement'; when Isis enters a quiet room, it is filled with 'a thick hush like fur'; the sounds made by budgies are 'hard chips of glassy noise that rattled against her teeth'. The devil is in the detail. Isis herself is a beautifully created character, more effective as a teenager in the 1920s sections than as a nonagenarian in 2002, but never less than engaging, and frequently admirable. Her story is a difficult, unhappy one, but Glaister makes it compelling.
There's a negative review of Little Egypt on Goodreads which says it seems too much like a YA novel, and I get what that reviewer is driving at: it's not really that the style or tone makes it feel like YA, but the fact that obvious obstacles to the plot making any sense are swept under the carpet without explanation. The sort of things that you wouldn't question in a kids' book, but as an adult reader, you don't expect to encounter such blatant lack of explanation unless it has a purpose. For example...
In addition to the implausibility of some of the plot points, I thought the story was just so depressing. This isn't something I would normally say about a book - I usually find this kind of judgement a bit inane - but in this case, I just couldn't shake the feeling. The fate of Little Egypt, Isis and Osi's whole lives, really - even the very end, which I guess is supposed to represent some final, not-too-late bit of happiness: all were so sad and empty. I was left with a hollow feeling at the end of the book; I just wished things could have been different for almost everyone in the story, particularly Isis. (Though this is a compliment, in a way, because if Isis's character hadn't been so well-formed, I would have cared less about what became of her.)
I find myself with more negative things to say about Little Egypt than positive ones (and I haven't yet mentioned the surfeit of continuity errors and spelling mistakes in the book), but I still feel the need to stress that I did enjoy it. I'd read more by the author - I enjoyed her style here more than the content, and would like to see it applied to a less dispiriting story.
November 20, 2016
Loved this. Such an original and moving story. See my review on www.fictionfox.blogspot.co.uk
April 17, 2014
As usual, Ms Glaister has managed to write an extraordinary book. Lit Fic is such a hard genre and to add menace and peril to that is even harder. But Ms Glaister is an exceptional writer with a vivid and breathtaking imagination. Her characters are credible and the narrative engaging. Brava.
December 28, 2019
My first novel by Glaister and while I enjoyed parts of it, mainly the beginning and end and also the creepiness of it, the middle felt flat and slow and I found myself putting it down with no urge to pick it back up again. Interesting premise but didn't quite do it for me.
April 19, 2014
This book is a tour de force of invention, characterisation, wit and horror. Egyptomania is the hero and villain of the piece, having dramatically influenced every aspect of this strange family's life. Having not read Lesley Glaister before I shall now search out her earlier work. An unusual and highly entertaining read.
May 5, 2014
Little Egypt – A subtle delight.
I’ve never been disappointed in anything that Lesley Glaister has written and ‘Little Egypt’ is no exception. Rich, deep, deceptively simple, enthralling and horrific by turns, it is beautifully observed and written - a subtle delight. The two timescales – 1920s and circa 2000 – are handled in such a way as to be totally believable. Two different worlds experienced by one young girl become an old woman. I was going to say bag lady, but she’s not exactly that.
These days social services would almost certainly swoop on Little Egypt and the two youngsters but things were very different in the 1920s so that the situation is entirely credible. As are the plot’s various twists and turns. I was constantly surprised, for the book often appears to be taking you in one direction only to go somewhere else entirely. The writing is so skilful that, although the clues are there I, for one, didn’t see many of them coming, though the tension throughout had me in no doubt that something horrific was going to happen. It just wasn’t what I expected.
This is another book where the characters are wonderfully drawn. I sympathised with poor Osi and, to some extent, Victor. However, my heart went out to the responsible and feisty Issy and also to loyal and put upon Mary. I’d have had the selfish, self absorbed parents in court – though their behaviour would not have been considered as reprehensible then as now – and yet their actions and behaviour is entirely in character.
As both readers and writers know, it’s extremely difficult for a writer to sustain tension right to the very end, to finish well and satisfactorily. Here again, by quietly and almost unnoticeably introducing some crucial facts early on – the lawyer, the trust fund, the greed of the corporation that owns the supermarket – Lesley Glaister gets over some possible, potential stumbling blocks. I particularly admire the fact that she has both the skill, and courage, to leave some loose ends, adding even more credibility to a wonderful story.
I’ve never been disappointed in anything that Lesley Glaister has written and ‘Little Egypt’ is no exception. Rich, deep, deceptively simple, enthralling and horrific by turns, it is beautifully observed and written - a subtle delight. The two timescales – 1920s and circa 2000 – are handled in such a way as to be totally believable. Two different worlds experienced by one young girl become an old woman. I was going to say bag lady, but she’s not exactly that.
These days social services would almost certainly swoop on Little Egypt and the two youngsters but things were very different in the 1920s so that the situation is entirely credible. As are the plot’s various twists and turns. I was constantly surprised, for the book often appears to be taking you in one direction only to go somewhere else entirely. The writing is so skilful that, although the clues are there I, for one, didn’t see many of them coming, though the tension throughout had me in no doubt that something horrific was going to happen. It just wasn’t what I expected.
This is another book where the characters are wonderfully drawn. I sympathised with poor Osi and, to some extent, Victor. However, my heart went out to the responsible and feisty Issy and also to loyal and put upon Mary. I’d have had the selfish, self absorbed parents in court – though their behaviour would not have been considered as reprehensible then as now – and yet their actions and behaviour is entirely in character.
As both readers and writers know, it’s extremely difficult for a writer to sustain tension right to the very end, to finish well and satisfactorily. Here again, by quietly and almost unnoticeably introducing some crucial facts early on – the lawyer, the trust fund, the greed of the corporation that owns the supermarket – Lesley Glaister gets over some possible, potential stumbling blocks. I particularly admire the fact that she has both the skill, and courage, to leave some loose ends, adding even more credibility to a wonderful story.
August 14, 2014
I have loved everything I've read that was written by Lesley Glaister. There's just something that appeals to me in her writing style: a choice word or phrase that gives an extra layer of depth and vitality to the story being told. That element exists in this story in spades, and for that it would be a clear five. However, unlike other Glaister novels, for me, there were many flat points here and instances of predictability. In the version I read there were also loads of typos: wrong word usage or doubling up in the same sentence suggesting a rushed second draft. This is normally something I can easily ignore, but there were so many of them, and as an independently published writer I've been harshly graded for having only a few.
So, I'm struggling to grade it. It's definitely not a three, I don't think any Glaister story could be, but I didn't enjoy it enough for it to be a four. Some of the language use is a five. Therein, bending the rules, I'm going for 3.6.
So, I'm struggling to grade it. It's definitely not a three, I don't think any Glaister story could be, but I didn't enjoy it enough for it to be a four. Some of the language use is a five. Therein, bending the rules, I'm going for 3.6.
February 20, 2016
Loved this tale of twins Isis and Osiris, children of Egyptologists who abandon them to life in 'Little Egypt' (the family home) while they search for a missing tomb. Isis narrates the tale of her and her brother, now in their nineties and living a desolate existence in a decrepit house, surrounded by railway, dual carriageway and superstore, the latter two having been built over the years as parcels of land have been sold off to enable them to continue living. As Isis is pressured to sell the final parcel of land, which includes the family home, she reminisces about her and her brother's childhood years, leading to the shocking events that led her to believe that they would never be able to leave the house. Great story, wonderfully told - 10/10.
January 22, 2018
Really enjoyed this, my first Glaister novel. The characters, the setting and the atmosphere of the book have stayed with me weeks after finishing it, which is a real test as so many books fall through my sieve of a brain into oblivion. Each of the two split narratives is thoroughly engaging. The appalling behaviour of Isis' Egyptologist parents when she's a young girl in the 1920s is utterly mesmerising. Her present day dilemma regarding the decrepitude of the house she's lived in all her life and her twin brother who is sequestered away upstairs, is also horrifically gripping. Beyond the original characters and events of the novel, it's the atmosphere created by the skilful, but unobtrusive writing that makes this book so memorable. I'll be reading some more Glaister before too long.
May 9, 2014
Fantastic book! Lesley Glaister really does manage to drag you into the story and introduce you to the characters and landscapes in this gripping 'coming of age' tale that entwines itself with a mystery thriller. It funny, it's sad, it's scary, the whole kit'n kaboodle!
The characters, the lead - Isis - in particular, are *so* realistic that you can practically reach out and touch them! You love, loathe, care for and fear them!
The story is one like no other I have read before. SHe has done her homework for this and her work should be well rewarded. So if you haven't read 'Little Egypt' yet, you journey to the afterlife will be a fruitless one. Get it done!
The characters, the lead - Isis - in particular, are *so* realistic that you can practically reach out and touch them! You love, loathe, care for and fear them!
The story is one like no other I have read before. SHe has done her homework for this and her work should be well rewarded. So if you haven't read 'Little Egypt' yet, you journey to the afterlife will be a fruitless one. Get it done!
June 6, 2014
I wanted to read Little Egypt as I read a long time ago Nina Todd Has Gone and enjoyed that tremendously. Little Egypt is a very unique story. Lesley Glaister approach to all her novels always appear to be effortless for her to write for her army of fans to read. Lesley certainly has the knack for putting her finger on what we most fear.
Little Egypt was once a well-to-do house in the north of England. Nonagenrian twins, Isis and Osiris, still live in the home they were born in which, in the 1920s, their obsessive Egyptologist parents left them to search for the tomb of Herihor. While twins Isis and Osiris live in the house they have many things to deal with.
Little Egypt was once a well-to-do house in the north of England. Nonagenrian twins, Isis and Osiris, still live in the home they were born in which, in the 1920s, their obsessive Egyptologist parents left them to search for the tomb of Herihor. While twins Isis and Osiris live in the house they have many things to deal with.
June 19, 2014
Not my cup of tea at all (my star rating, it has to be said, is purely an expression of my view of the book and not an objective assessment).
I found this utterly unconvincing. The plotting hinged on far too many convenient cop outs and, in this and other ways, the book therefore lacked credibility.
Little Egypt had the definite ring of a "young adult" novel. And, to my mind, a not terribly good one. Contrived, bland and superficial, it did not deliver what I, as an adult reader hoping for something that might lift me above the everyday I so often encounter in the world of literature, was hoping for.
I found this utterly unconvincing. The plotting hinged on far too many convenient cop outs and, in this and other ways, the book therefore lacked credibility.
Little Egypt had the definite ring of a "young adult" novel. And, to my mind, a not terribly good one. Contrived, bland and superficial, it did not deliver what I, as an adult reader hoping for something that might lift me above the everyday I so often encounter in the world of literature, was hoping for.
April 26, 2015
It is extremely satisfying when a book exceeds expectations. I must have put this on my tbr list a year ago, and have only just got round to reading it.
It's also one of those books which is difficult to review without giving away spoilers. Suffice to say Glaister's novel could fit into a number of genres (even stating those could be a spoiler), but clearly it is historical, set around the time when time of the discovery of many of the great Egyptian tombs (the 1920s). Her cast of characters is cleverly chosen and the novel gains pace as it goes on.
It is quite special, and extremely entertaining.
It's also one of those books which is difficult to review without giving away spoilers. Suffice to say Glaister's novel could fit into a number of genres (even stating those could be a spoiler), but clearly it is historical, set around the time when time of the discovery of many of the great Egyptian tombs (the 1920s). Her cast of characters is cleverly chosen and the novel gains pace as it goes on.
It is quite special, and extremely entertaining.
June 9, 2015
Read this through in just under a day. Basically enjoyed it. Good pacing and suspense, interesting premise, but just such a sad book. It was soaked in sadness, hopelessness and loneliness. I was a little confused by the switching between 1st and 3rd person in a few places. Not sure if it was deliberate - some places felt a little unfinished/unpolished.
June 16, 2014
Hated this book, found it extremely depressing & not quite the psychological thriller I was expecting. Very well written, I just found it too creepy to enjoy.
December 26, 2017
Tragic, suspenseful and funny. Yay!
May 21, 2021
Isis is a 93 year old woman who lives with Osiris, her twin brother.
They live in a dilapidated country house called Little Egypt. Once a grand building with acres of land. But the land has been sold to support the twins and Little Egypt, once beautifully isolated, is now surrounded by modern developments.
The twins have been alone since their Egypt obsessed parents left in the 1920s to go to Egypt to search for a lost tomb. Osiris shares their enthusiasm for Egypt. So much so that he is obsessed to the point of insanity. Isis is more practical and takes on the role of housemaid / mother.
Little Egypt is a story of loneliness, madness, aging and of unrealised possibilities.
Isis would leave this house she hates were it not for her love and sense of loyalty for her brother. For his sake she remains all but imprisoned and her life is wasted. Her only respite is the superstore built on what was once her land, and the friends she has there. "Fiends", she calls them, but in reality they are barely acquaintances.
Most of the story is in the form of flashbacks to the 1920s when the twins were teenagers. Through them we witness horrifying, disturbing and depressing events. Events which created the personalities and circumstances of the older characters.
Knowing the two as youths also makes seeing what has become of them 80 years later all the more poignant.
This is typical Glaister. A dark and sad tale but told with humour and wit.
Within the first two pages I had laughed more than once. By the end I pitied Isis for her disappointment and lack of fulfilment.
A bitter-sweet story and one of Glaisters best. I'd rank it up alongside Honour Thy Father as a story about an unconventional, to say the least, family.
They live in a dilapidated country house called Little Egypt. Once a grand building with acres of land. But the land has been sold to support the twins and Little Egypt, once beautifully isolated, is now surrounded by modern developments.
The twins have been alone since their Egypt obsessed parents left in the 1920s to go to Egypt to search for a lost tomb. Osiris shares their enthusiasm for Egypt. So much so that he is obsessed to the point of insanity. Isis is more practical and takes on the role of housemaid / mother.
Little Egypt is a story of loneliness, madness, aging and of unrealised possibilities.
Isis would leave this house she hates were it not for her love and sense of loyalty for her brother. For his sake she remains all but imprisoned and her life is wasted. Her only respite is the superstore built on what was once her land, and the friends she has there. "Fiends", she calls them, but in reality they are barely acquaintances.
Most of the story is in the form of flashbacks to the 1920s when the twins were teenagers. Through them we witness horrifying, disturbing and depressing events. Events which created the personalities and circumstances of the older characters.
Knowing the two as youths also makes seeing what has become of them 80 years later all the more poignant.
This is typical Glaister. A dark and sad tale but told with humour and wit.
Within the first two pages I had laughed more than once. By the end I pitied Isis for her disappointment and lack of fulfilment.
A bitter-sweet story and one of Glaisters best. I'd rank it up alongside Honour Thy Father as a story about an unconventional, to say the least, family.
December 19, 2024
Little Egypt is based around one of my favourite settings — a large country pile in an advanced state of decay, with secrets piled on secrets. Indeed, the house is the title character, a grand house in the north of England. Like many grand houses, the First World War pretty much did for it, and the spendthrift owners progressively sold off more of the land until it is a small island completely cut off from the rest of the world by a railway line, a dual carriageway and a superstore. Although dilapidated, it is still inhabited by nonagenarian twins Isis and Osiris, whose childhoods had been scarred by their abandonment in the house, during the 1920s, by their Egyptologist parents who were forever in Egypt squandering their wealth on a search for the fabled Tomb of Herihor. As the story opens, Osiris has long ago descended from eccentricity into madness, but Isis is still as sharp as a razor. For years she has been courted by a developer who wants to buy Little Egypt so it can be levelled to make way for yet another superstore. Isis is sorely tempted … until she remembers the awful secrets that the house conceals. The only flaw for me was a section in the middle in which the young twins actually travel to Egypt to see their awful parents. This seemed to go on longer than necessary. Mainly, I think, because those scenes didn’t feature the slowly decaying mansion, against which the tombs and temples of ancient Egypt seemed fresh and new.
October 2, 2022
I started reading this years ago and then shelved because I’d just finished something similar and it was too much. But when I went back to read it this time, I enjoyed it a lot. It goes in very unexpected directions and the characters and settings are richly drawn. (Midway through the book, the characters go on a trip to Egypt that is so miserable, it really puts the grossness of the Chicago Greyhound station into perspective.)
I’m passionate about historic preservation, so it’s rare that I would see an old house being torn down as a happy ending, but in this case I felt joy when the old country manor was replaced by an IKEA-type store. That’s a testament to the author’s writing. The house’s glory days are barely a flickering memory for the narrator because her parents are obsessed with finding an Egyptian tomb. Letting the house go to ruin and abandoning their kids are small prices to pay for their quest.
If you liked the movie Grey Gardens, you will enjoy this book. See also: The Knife Drawer by Padrika Tarrant.
I’m passionate about historic preservation, so it’s rare that I would see an old house being torn down as a happy ending, but in this case I felt joy when the old country manor was replaced by an IKEA-type store. That’s a testament to the author’s writing. The house’s glory days are barely a flickering memory for the narrator because her parents are obsessed with finding an Egyptian tomb. Letting the house go to ruin and abandoning their kids are small prices to pay for their quest.
If you liked the movie Grey Gardens, you will enjoy this book. See also: The Knife Drawer by Padrika Tarrant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2025
Well, talk about depressing! The book is told through two time lines, when Isis and her twin are teenagers through to Isis being in her 90’s.
Neglected by their parents and helped in the mansion, Little Egypt’ by the dedicated maid, this story tells of Isis looking after her brother, whom she has not spoken to for 10yrs.
At times I was bored with the narrative and found myself skimming parts. I didn’t like the style of writing and also as some people have pointed out, it reads as a YA. There is no true description of what is going on and it tends to skim over certain areas where the author could have taken us further into the chaotic situation that Isis was in.
This was a book club read as I certainly would not have willingly picked this book up to read.
Glad I read it though.
Neglected by their parents and helped in the mansion, Little Egypt’ by the dedicated maid, this story tells of Isis looking after her brother, whom she has not spoken to for 10yrs.
At times I was bored with the narrative and found myself skimming parts. I didn’t like the style of writing and also as some people have pointed out, it reads as a YA. There is no true description of what is going on and it tends to skim over certain areas where the author could have taken us further into the chaotic situation that Isis was in.
This was a book club read as I certainly would not have willingly picked this book up to read.
Glad I read it though.
April 25, 2025
An unusual plot for a novel. From the blurb, which I should not have read, it gave away part of the ending so I knew some of what was going to happen but during the writing it became obvious anyway. Coincidentally reading this at the same time as visiting a Tutankhamun experience in London.
A strange style of writing with short, uncomplicated and in some cases abrupt sentences which made me feel like I was reading a young adult book. I was confused over the intended audience.
An author I have not read before but this does seem different to her first novels which seem to be thrillers/horror.
A strange style of writing with short, uncomplicated and in some cases abrupt sentences which made me feel like I was reading a young adult book. I was confused over the intended audience.
An author I have not read before but this does seem different to her first novels which seem to be thrillers/horror.
April 29, 2021
Another masterpiece from Lesley Glaister
I don't know how she does it! I've read 3
Of L.Glaister's books in a row & they are all very different stories. All SO well written, with fabulous characters, great storyline, capturing, holding,tugging at emotions.
This story was set well between now & then (just after WW1) And I usually steer away from dual timelines, but this gelled perfectly. And Egyptology, absent parents, lonely, dysfunctional children, and more feature here.
So skilfully written.
I don't know how she does it! I've read 3
Of L.Glaister's books in a row & they are all very different stories. All SO well written, with fabulous characters, great storyline, capturing, holding,tugging at emotions.
This story was set well between now & then (just after WW1) And I usually steer away from dual timelines, but this gelled perfectly. And Egyptology, absent parents, lonely, dysfunctional children, and more feature here.
So skilfully written.
November 16, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed Little Egypt by Lesley Glaister. It is a beautifully written story about life, death, grief, and everything in between. The atmosphere is rich, the characters feel real, and there is a quiet emotional weight that stays with you. I can already tell this book will linger with me for a long time.
It should have been an easy 5 stars, but the number of typos and grammatical mistakes was impossible to ignore. They pulled me out of the story more than once, which is why I had to drop a star.
Still, this is a powerful and memorable book, and I am very glad I read it.
It should have been an easy 5 stars, but the number of typos and grammatical mistakes was impossible to ignore. They pulled me out of the story more than once, which is why I had to drop a star.
Still, this is a powerful and memorable book, and I am very glad I read it.
March 31, 2022
If they made a film of this novel it would probably be billed as a horror film but its not really scary, just very, very sad. It's all about neglect as the parents seem to care little for the twins or for the twins only true friend, the servant who did look after them and despite not being paid, would not leave them to go with either of her beaux. The book is really well written and I love the resilience of Isis and how well she secures her future. I found the ending quite plausible.
April 15, 2025
I read this book while I was on holiday in Egypt – a perfect choice. Glaister’s descriptions are so vivid, yet seem so effortless. Aside from the chapters in Luxor, the setting of the decaying house with budgies ( and, later, spudgies) in the ballroom, is so atmospheric. The only aspect of the book I could possibly criticise is the ending – yes, it’s unbelievable, but I can’t think of a more satisfactory ending , so I’m willing to leave the story there.
December 9, 2017
This book was wonderful and sad but very believable. I don’t want to reveal anything that happened, as it would spoil it for other readers. Lesley Glaister is my favourite author (apart from Orwell). Her writing is superb - always haunting and slightly gothic. Highly recommended- now I’m off to re-read other Lesley Glaister books!
May 8, 2025
For most of this occasionally confusing and rambling novel I thought it was a tale of parental neglect but then the plot twist came and it all became rather absurd. Although, despite her disgraceful lie about sexual assault, I rather liked Isis: capable, mischievous and determinedly loyal to her odd brother.
May 22, 2021
This is possibly my favourite novel by Lesley Glaister. She writes the aged character extremely well, with humour, wit and sympathy.
Her descriptions of Egypt all but transported me there.
Not only a beautiful piece of writing, but an engaging, dark tale too.
Her descriptions of Egypt all but transported me there.
Not only a beautiful piece of writing, but an engaging, dark tale too.
January 21, 2022
I liked the story and loved Isis, a seriously impressive woman. I would have liked a wee bit more of her in the present but do understand why the past predominated. This is the first book I have read by this author but I will definitely read more.
August 19, 2017
Meh. Not bad, but totally not my thing. The farther I got, the more I skimmed.
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