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By Linda Grant

ISBN: 978-184-408541-5

The brilliant new novel by Orange Prize winner, Linda Grant, about the legacies of history, set in 1970s London In a red brick mansion block off the Marylebone Road, a sensitive, bookish girl grows up sealed off from both past and present by her timid refugee parents, surrounded by well-to-do neighbours living mysterious, enthralling lives.

Then one morning a glamorous uncle appears, dressed in a mohair suit, a diamond watch on his wrist and a girl in a leopard-skin pill-box hat on his arm. But why is this man so violently unwelcome in her parents' home?

The young Vivien begins to push against the constraints of home and escapes to university. But a shocking event soon sends her back to her parents' home and to her uncle Sandy, only recently released from prison.

Volunteering to help him write his life-story, she learns about the concealed past and the stark choices faced by those intent on survival. As history reveals itself, so too does the London of the 1970s and Viv comes to understand how the clothes we wear define us.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant is a powerful story. In a time of politics and war, it is obvious to the reader a lot of research has been put into this book to make sure the settings are believable for the era.

The focus of the story is on an only child named Vivien, a girl who decides she wants to learn about her families history. Her infamous Uncle Sandor fascinates and disgusts her, as she tries to piece together the facts. This book has a whole sequence of tragic events that shape Vivien’s future and things aren’t always as they seem.

 There is a lot of emphasis on clothes, as the character has a growing fascination for fashion, but there is so much more to this story.

Well written, the characters will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

Recommended Reading.