Borrowed Body by Valerie Mason-John

Borrowed Body

Valerie Mason-John

Pauline spends her childhood in care until she ends up in Borstal, cared for only by her spirit companions Sparky, Annabel and Snake. Not an easy read by any means, but if you stick with it you will be rewarded. The characters are larger than life, and the fable-like quality of the story will resonate long after you have finished reading.

Extract
Shola leaps at Wunmi and they fight from room to room like two dogs. I grab my satchel and head back out to school. When I return home, Shola is not there, and I know something has happened. I wonder if Annabel has frightened her away, Annabel's not been around lately because she is jealous of my sister and says the house has become too violent for Angels to stick around. I can feel my cat trying to suck out my energy, but I've learnt to cross my legs and arms and wait until its grip slackens.
Parallels
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
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Violence
Explicit sexual content