Fishnets

by Philippa Burne

Sophie locks the door behind her. In front of the mirror. too short. too wide. too small. too round, no cheekbones. All wrong. From boxes she takes the black bra of Sally, the red lipstick of Jane, the jacket of Ruth. In front of the mirror she watches herself change… constructing, creating, layer by layer… Jane's hat, Ruth's skirt, Sally's glasses, Sophie's skin, Ruth's shoes, Jane's fishnets, Sophie's legs, Sophie's face, Sally's makeup, Ruth's scent… becoming and unbecoming. Locked in her own world, not knowing who or how to be. But when her aunt Ruth comes to stay, Sophie opens the door, just enough to let Ruth in and for Sophie to begin to make her way out. Philippa Burne's powerful debut novel takes you inside a family held apart yet bound by grief - desperate for a way to connect.

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 1997