Lonely, young and sharply observant, Eleanor arrives in Brighton looking for work, friendship and somewhere to live. But not for love. Not for sex. She’s tried that – brutally. She thinks she’s over the worst when she meets Scott, whose rages make him hurl everything at the wall, out of the car – everything including Eleanor who suddenly turns rebellious. A deceptively understated first person narrative that gets under the skin of a medley of strange lives.
Author of The Undoing of Violet Claybourne, One Puzzling Afternoon, Notes on My Family, The Bear Who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg and The Tiny Gestures of Small flowers.
Having read and enjoyed Emily Critchley's One Puzzling afternoon I thought I'd see what else she's written and I'm so pleased I did as I loved this one too.
Nell is a young girl left home for the first time. She's chosen vibrant, busy Brighton worlds away from the countryside of Lincolnshire where she'd been living with mum Alice. She finds a house share with two other girls and is soon working in a ladies clothes shop. I think Nell is quite naive, this new life is so different for her and she's not used to being in control. She meets Scott who is much older than her. At first she's very taken with him. A relationship just kind of happens but is Scott taking advantage of Nell and her naivety?
The book is set between the present day in Brighton and Nell's life as a young girl in Lincolnshire. Her mother Alice is a single mum, an artist and they live in Nell's late grandmother's cottage in a rural area. Alice paints, occasionally selling the odd one. She also teaches and takes life classes at the cottage. But Alice's preferred model is always Nell. Alice and Nell both read lots and grow their own vegetables and herbs. It's all quite bohemian. Is this why Nell chose to uproot herself?
The author has a writing style that really appeals to me. Although very different to One puzzling afternoon (possibly Young Adult?) I enjoyed The tiny gestures of small flowers just as much and hope more will follow.