The Outcast - Sadie Parker

Set in post WWII suburban London, this superb debut novel charts the downward spiral and tortured redemption of a young man shattered by loss. The war is over and Lewis Aldridge is getting used to having his father, Gilbert, back in the house. Things hum along splendidly until Lewis’s mother drowns, casting the 10-year-old into deep isolation. It is an everyday tale of drunkenness, violence and a fair amount of sex, set amongst the well-brought-up professional classes. It is also a love story.

Whilst the subject was very dark, it was handled in a moving way and I could not help but feel sorry for Lewis. You could see the story unfolding and the mistakes that were being made and yet you understood why this was happening.

I really enjoyed this book and believed in all of the characters, but this is not really a book for reading by the pool