Twelve Bar Blues by Patrick Neate

Twelve Bar Blues

Patrick Neate

An enjoyable read that spans centuries and continents. This is a real saga which features fate, family, friendship and jazz. You really care as Lick struggles to find his step-sister and the descriptions of the music make it perfect lazy Sunday/beach reading.

Extract
While her schoolfriends discussed bra sizes and tucked their blouses into their tight skirts to accentuate their busts, Sylvia wore long cardigans that hid her stubbornly flat chest. Occasionally she stood naked and wet from the bath in front of the mirror and she wondered if she would ever be a woman. Or maybe her gender was as uncertain as the colour of her skin. When her schoolfriends talked of boys and exaggerated what they'd done and underestimated what they'd be prepared to do, Sylvia sat quietly and pretended she understood what all the fuss was about.
Parallels
  • Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy
  • From Caucasia with Love by Danzy Senna
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Violence
Explicit sexual content