That Summer Feeling

by Mark Hodkinson

Set in 2004. A young writer-to-be is having doubts. To clear his head he embarks on a road trip with pals, starting at rainy Grasmere. Hopes don’t rise there. In the best tradition of classic novels of the 1960s, he is torn between two girls. Meanwhile, his university lecturer is breaking down in a rundown pub on the edge of town and his young nephew’s illness has set a fault-line through the entire family.

A lot of life impacting — sad, happy, funny, all of it.

202 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novels about writers can sometimes seem a bit self-congratulatory. That's not the case here as Hodkinson does a good job of contrasting his protagonist's home life with his university creative writing course, painting a convincing picture of someone caught between two worlds.

There's a sharp turn of phrase and the book paints a very believable picture. The ending feels a little unresolved though.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel, good characters and interestingly some of them are similar to ones in Mark’s autobiography