The First Book of Calamity Leek

Paula Lichtarowicz

Difficult to describe the plot of this novel without revealing the whole story. It portrays a group of girls living in an unusual situation, which to them is normal, and how they eventually, and in some cases, reluctantly escape, in a really exciting denouement. The characters are eccentric. The dialogue is brilliant and the narrator's turn of phrase really comical. A new author to watch and one of my favourites so far this year.

Extract

Aunty had herself some medicine from the bottle on the table. 'I don't mind telling you, Calamity, some times I wonder whether your Mother actually bothered to stop and check over any of you, or whether she just panicked and snatched the closest thing to hand. Of course she denies it. She would. But there's you, there's boz-eyed Evita, there's Tombstone Mary. Heavens, I shudder to think about Dorothy, I really do.' ... 'Still a deal's a deal, we work with what we've got niece.'

Parallels