Whatever you Love by Louise Doughty (From Hereford Times)

Whatever you Love by Louise Doughty

10:08am Thursday 14th April 2011 in Book Group

LAURA’S life has changed in a heartbeat, sharply divided into ‘before’ and ‘after’ following the death of her beloved nine-year-old daughter Betty.

Whatever You Love charts Laura’s journey through grief and towards a kind of vengeance, but also throws her into the past as memories of her life with David, Betty’s father, and their painful divorce, rise to the surface.

Now married to Chloe and the father of another child, David seems to have moved on, but losing Betty will have a devastating impact on both families.

The stark heart of the novel is Laura’s grief, deftly depicted with an admirable lack of sentimentality, the rawness all too real.

And what makes the tragedy all the more moving, and Laura’s unravelling so distressing, is the authenticity of Louise Doughty’s telling of Betty’s story – the everyday details of a nine-year-old’s life and the horrifyingly random nature of the accident that claims her life.

As Laura increasingly retreats from her life, her perspective skews and she becomes convinced that there is only one solution – to seek out the driver who killed Betty. Though Laura finally finds a way to live with her loss, there is an uncomfortable price tag attached.

It would be unfair to reveal the ending, which contrasts slightly awkwardly with the authenticity of the earlier chapters, becoming slightly less credible but still hugely readable.

About the author

Louise Doughty, a graduate of the famous Creative Writing course at the University of East Anglia, is the author of five novels, Crazy Paving, Dance with Me, Honey-Dew, Fires in the Dark and Stone Cradles, and one book of non-fiction, A Novel in a Year, based on her popular newspaper column.

She also writes radio plays and is a critic and journalist, broadcasting regularly for BBC Radio 4.

How to order

Get Whatever You Love at the offer price of £7.59, post and packing free.

To order, call the Hereford Times Bookshop on 08430 6000399 or send your cheque or postal order made payable to Hereford Times Bookshop to: Hereford Times Bookshop, PO Box 60, Helston, TR13 0TP. Allow seven to 10 working days for delivery. Titles supplied subject to availability.

Or order online at sparkledirect.com.