Summary
THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS by LINDA GRANT (Virago, Pounds 7.99)
Vivien Kovaks, a solitary, frail girl - the daughter of two 'cranky, odd Europeans with weird opinions' - is ten years old before she discovers that she has an uncle. He turns up unannounced at her parents' drab London flat in the 1960s, dressed in an electric-blue suit, sassy girlfriend in tow, bringing an unfamiliar flash of money and glamour into Vivien's sheltered life. But why has she never been told of Uncle Sandor's existence? And why does her father refuse to let him in, showering extravagant curses on his brother from behind the door? Vivien gradually unravels the mystery of this 'charming, dangerous man', as her mother describes him, unpicking Sandor's past and putting his monstrous reputation into a context where his criminal behaviour can be understood, if not condoned. At the same time, Vivien develops from mousy child to teenage rebel to a middle-aged mother who survives two husbands, one of whom dies on honeymoon. But the heart of this engrossing novel, which was shortlisted for last year's Man Booker Prize, is the discovery of the lives her timid, Hungarian refugee parents have kept hidden from her - and the reasons why. This is vibrant storytelling about family, forgiveness, growing up and survival.See the full content of this document
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