About this item
Readman weaves a fascinating and decidedly original fairytale. - Lucy Scholes, Financial TimesIts the 1950s, and Lorrie is unimpressed when her family moves to the remote Scottish island where her grandad runs a whisky distillery. She befriends Sylvie, the shy girl next door: The slightest smile from Sylvie was a fluffy elephant at the fair. It had to be won with a clear aim, writes Lorrie. Yet fun-loving Lorrie isnt sure Sylvies is the friendship she wants to win. As the adults around them struggle to keep their lives on an even keel, the two young women are drawn into a series of events that leave the small town wondering who exactly Sylvie is and what strange gift she is hiding. Readmans feel for emotional nuance and flair for mixing strangeness with poignant detail make this long-awaited debut novel one to savour.
About the Author
Angela Readman is a short story writer and published poet. Her debut novel Something like Breathing was published by And Other Stories in January 2019. Her short stories have won The Costa Short Story Award, The Mslexia Competition, The Anton Chekhov Award for Short Fiction, and The National Flash Fiction Day Competition. Her story collection Don't Try This at Home was short listed in The Edge Hill prize and won The Rubery Book Award.Her poetry collection The Book of Tides is published by Nine Arches.Angela lives with her husband in a small ramshackle cottage in the north of England. When she's not working, she's usually gardening, making crafts with felt, or fixing something. Last year, she saw a deer in her garden. It was one of her favourite moments in life.
