This novel is odd, quirky and utterly charming.</p>
When I read the publicity online I was wary of it, thinking this kind of story really isn’t my cup of tea. It seemed rather offbeat and surreal and not to my taste. How wrong I was! This strange novel has won me over completely.</p>
The story is narrated by Lucy and we are taken under her wing and made to see the world from her own point of view, where everything is slightly askew and we are forced, gladly, to re-evaluate the world around us. Lucy has been cast off by her mother and sent to a strange farm to live. She is nervous and afraid, worried that if she ever leaves the farm then her mother will never find her again. </p>
Amidst this confusion and upset she forms a friendship with Samantha and when Samantha’s baby vanishes Lucy casts off her own fears to try and unite mother and child.</p>
An unusual story indeed, told by an even more unusual narrator, but the plot and narrative voice are secondary to the quality of the writing. Sarkissian’s prose is keen and rich and filled with light. It was a sheer pleasure to read it. She makes us stop and think yes, that is how sunlight feels when it touches your skin, yes, that is what the press of damp soil against your cheek would feel like. Ordinary sensations are filtered through Lucy's consciousness and are delivered to us fresh and startling. You can crack the book open at random and point to any sentence, guaranteed you will alight on something lyrical and fine. It was sometimes hard to believe this is the work of a debut novelist, as she is so confident and brave in her prose. </p>
So, the plot, the twists in the story, and the point of view are all bold and memorable and will leave reviewers and book-lovers chattering about them for a long time to come but, for me, these things all come second – albeit a close second – to the sheer beauty of the writing. </p>
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<i>Dear Lucy</i> is released on 25th April, by Hodder and Stoughton</p>
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