The Outcast by Sadie Jones

The Outcast

Sadie Jones

This evocative depiction of postwar austerity Britain lifts the lid on the hypercritical, repressed 'cocktail society' of the Home Counties middle class. In a classic story of transgression and redemption, Sadie Jones shows the devastating effect of suppressed grief and love denied. Be prepared to go through the emotional wringer!

Extract
The car keys were in his pocket. They hadn't fallen out while he was fucking Alice. He went out of the front door and got in the car. He drove out onto the road, holding the bottle in one hand, and drank as much as he could without choking.

The day was hot and sunny; it didn't know what had happened. You'd think the sky would be black and stormy once you'd had your stepmother on a Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't. It was high and blue and empty. The road was twisting and Lewis drank some more and then put the bottle between his legs to steer better. He went fast and couldn't feel the gin at all, and thought that if he could kill himself driving it would be a good thing.
Parallels
  • Atonement by Ian McEwan
  • Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Violence
Explicit sexual Content

Food for thought