Russell T Davies

In 1987, Cora sets out to register the birth of her son. But what to call him? A name chosen by herself, by her daughter, or by her terrifying, violent husband…? And there, the story divides into three, telling the lives over decades of the boy with each different name. What a clever idea! This is a lovely book, and it works hard, keeping you guessing; it’s never easy to predict which life will go which way. It’s all set in the shadow of domestic abuse, and the writing can rise up to great heights; there’s a sequence where Cora walks into a vet’s which is breathtaking, I’ve never read anything like it; it’s such a bravura piece of writing I had to read it twice to grasp its enormity. Wonderful stuff. And it all rises to a fine and righteous climax. A great summer read in this heatwave ☀️

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