I am lucky enough to have just come back from a week in Umbria, Italy. Holidays are one of the only times I get the sit down and read a good book, cover to cover and the daily distractions of bad TV and my boyfriend can’t disturb me.
For anyone who wants to get lost in the world of a great book I really recommend The Outcast by Sadie Jones. Set in post second world war Surrey, the book is both gripping and devastatingly moving, telling the story of a boy called Lewis Aldridge and his fall into a dark and painful adolescence. Jone’s paints an enthralling picture of hypocritical post-war society and the lives of those within in, from the young and innocent Kit, to her violent and controlling father Dicky.
It’s a world where, on the outside, everything looks as conservative and safe as its inhabitants want it to be; but scratch the surface and alcoholism, child abuse and domestic violence cut devastating paths through people’s lives.
Nominated for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, the book is beautifully written and easy to read, I finished after just three days and was left wanting more.
The book is one of Richard and Judy’s summer reads, which I always enjoy and I recommend to anyone wanting to find their next great book to check out their list.
