26a: Winner of the Orange Award for New Writers

26a: Winner of the Orange Award for New Writers

by Diana Evans (Author)

Synopsis

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WHITBREAD FIRST NOVEL AWARD Identical twins, Georgia and Bessi, live in the loft of 26 Waifer Avenue. It is a place of beanbags, nectarines and secrets, and visitors must always knock before entering. Down below there is not such harmony. Their Nigerian mother puts cayenne pepper on her Yorkshire pudding and has mysterious ways of dealing with homesickness; their father angrily roams the streets of Neasden, prey to the demons of his Derbyshire upbringing. Forced to create their own identities, the Hunter children build a separate universe. Older sister Bel discovers sex, high heels and organic hairdressing, the twins prepare for a flapjack empire, and baby sister Kemy learns to moonwalk for Michael Jackson. It is when the reality comes knocking that the fantasies of childhood start to give way. How will Georgia and Bessi cope in a world of separateness and solitude, and which of them will be stronger?

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 02 Mar 2006

ISBN 10: 0099479044
ISBN 13: 9780099479048
Book Overview: Diana Evans is the new literary voice of multicultural Britain. Her unforgettable first novel has all the heartbreak of Brick Lane and all the vibrancy of White Teeth, but a very special magic of its own.

Media Reviews
A hugely assured and very moving first novel -- Mark Haddon * Sunday Telegraph *
A remarkable first novel...vibrant...exotic * Sunday Times *
The Great Neasden Novel has arrived...Haunting and cherishable...A hugely promising debut * Independent *
A dazzling debut...I adored this book; I defy anyone to read the final pages without tears in their eyes. Easily the best book of the year so far * Scotsman *
This sparky debut novel... Enthralling from the first page, this bittersweet fusion of fairytales and nightmares is sugared by nostalgia and salted with sadness, Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail * Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail *
Author Bio
Diana Evans is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA and has published short fiction in a number of anthologies. She has worked as a journalist and arts critic for Marie Claire, the Evening Standard, The Source and Pride magazine, and writes regularly for the Independent and the Stage. She lives in West London.