by JennieRooney (Author)
Stephanie Sandford, recently widowed, must tell her family the truth - but the past is indistinct and it's complicated. First, there was her mum, who developed an anxious streak after marrying the wrong Reg. Then there was the young man from the dairy who taught Stevie to swim and broke her heart. War came, and four years spent chopping root vegetables in the canteen of the Sun Pat peanut factory on the Old Kent Road, followed by wet London nights, with the Doodle Bugs slipping through the sky like huge silvery fish. It's not until Stevie's under an umbrella with Jonathan that Stevie finally starts to sense safety.Meanwhile, Michael Royston's memories are squashed into a shoebox (along with Queen Matilda's Dicken Medal for bravery) ready for his move into hospital. Years ago, he trained military carrier pigeons for the Royal Corps of Signals in Cairo yet his own homecoming has taken a lifetime. Michael has never been good at putting things into words; he's more comfortable with the click of Morse code. But Anna, a young healthcare assistant, has the patience - and rare tenderness - to eke out his story. And so he begins. Stories have the power to change things, and this one will alter Stevie's past and transform Anna's future...
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Edition: First Edition; 1st printing.
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Published: 31 Jul 2008
ISBN 10: 0701182733
ISBN 13: 9780701182731
Book Overview: Inside the Whale marks the arrival of a blazing new talent: fizzing with eclectic characters and poignant imagery, Jennie Rooney's heart-wrenching debut novel is a story to relish, and a book you'll want to recommend with passion to everyone you know.
Prizes: Shortlisted for Galaxy British Book Awards: Waterstone's New Writer of the Year 2009 and Costa First Novel Award 2008.