The Last Pier
Published on 17. August 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-910709-30-6 (ISBN)
Description
With 'tension [that] grips like a vice' [The Independent], The Last Pier is a gripping drama of dark family secrets in rural England from the author of Brixton Beach, Bone China and Mosquito.
'Tearne charts the patterns of love and loss with beautiful prose' Sunday Times
Despite the dark clouds of war looming on the horizon, thirteen-year-old Cecily's head is full of first love, ice cream and sibling rivalry. She looks constantly to her impossibly beautiful elder sister, Rose, with a mixture of envy and admiration. Desperately curious about Rose's secrets, and those of all the adults around her, Cecily eavesdrops at every opportunity that summer: with dire consequences. For Cecily's actions one fateful night at the outbreak of the Second World War will ultimately tear her family apart and echo across the generations. It is not until many years later that a grown-up Cecily can return to her childhood home and unravel the remaining family secrets. And finally lay some ghosts to rest.
'Tearne charts the patterns of love and loss with beautiful prose' Sunday Times
Despite the dark clouds of war looming on the horizon, thirteen-year-old Cecily's head is full of first love, ice cream and sibling rivalry. She looks constantly to her impossibly beautiful elder sister, Rose, with a mixture of envy and admiration. Desperately curious about Rose's secrets, and those of all the adults around her, Cecily eavesdrops at every opportunity that summer: with dire consequences. For Cecily's actions one fateful night at the outbreak of the Second World War will ultimately tear her family apart and echo across the generations. It is not until many years later that a grown-up Cecily can return to her childhood home and unravel the remaining family secrets. And finally lay some ghosts to rest.
Reviews / Votes
'Exquisitely written ... once read, not easily forgotten' Fay Weldon'Tearne charts the patterns of love and loss with beautiful prose' Sunday Times
'Tearne brings her skills as a painter to her writing' Sunday Telegraph
'Tearne is brilliant on first love, sibling rivalry and that long hot summer of adolescence that we all remember before we had to put away childish things. By the final chapters, tension grips like a vice, and you're still reading at 3am' The Independent
'[Tearne] has a wonderful ability to create atmosphere' The Times
'Absorbed me right up to the final page... Beautifully written and difficult to stop thinking about' Jo Brand
'A beautifully written, evocative tale that explores sibling rivalry, guilt, and the complexities of familial love' Neverimitate
'An engaging and atmospheric page-turner' Bailieborough Library Reading Group
'An exquisite writer and captivating storyteller' Aminatta Forna
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 177 mm
Width: 127 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-910709-30-6 (9781910709306)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Roma Tearne is a Sri Lankan-born, Oxford-based artist, film-maker and writer. She trained as a painter, completing her MA at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford, UK. Her debut novel, Mosquito, was shortlisted for the 2007 Costa Book Awards First Novel prize and the LA Times First Fiction Prize. The Swimmer was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2011 and Asian Man Booker in 2012.