Faith and hope in a quest for redemption

2:04pm Thursday 2nd October 2008

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ANY young child losing his mother in the early 21st century can expect support and sympathy, counselling and his mother’s memory treasured.

Little more than 50 years ago, it was very different, the psychology of loss and its impact on a young mind barely understood, let alone made allowances for or talked about.

Lewis Aldridge, the outcast of Sadie Jones’s debut novel of the same name, is just 10 years old when his beloved mother drowns one summer afternoon as he and she swim in an isolated spot.

His inability to give voice to what happened leads to conjecture and suspicion and, with no help to mend his fragile psyche, Lewis moves increasingly towards the margins of society.

At 19, after two years away, he returns to live with his father Gilbert and step-mother Alice, arousing again the suspicion and wariness that characterised his childhood.

But one person still has faith in Lewis, one person can see behind his blank eyes to the need within. Fifteen-year-old Kit Carmichael, like Lewis, is showing the world a face at odds with her fractured spirit, and as Lewis comes to see that he is not alone, he also sees the possibility of salvation. But will he be able to take the chance or is he damaged beyond hope?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

How big a part does alcohol play in Lewis’s story?

How well does Sadie Jones create a sense of time and place?

Is the ending a satisfactory one?

Do you find Lewis a sympathetic protagonist? What do you like about him?

Fifty years on, how much has changed in society’s attitudes ... and how much has remained the same?

WATERSTONE’S BOOK GROUP

Waterstone’s, Hereford, runs its own book group, which meets on the first Thursday of every month. Today, coinciding with the release of the new film and the start of Cheltenham Literature Festival, the group will be talking about Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Next month’s book is A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. For more details about the group, call 01432 275100.

WIN A WATERSTONE’S GIFT CARD

Let us know what you think about The Outcast and your review could win you a £10 Waterstone’s gift card.

Email your review to htleisure@midlands.newsquest.co.uk or post it to HT Book Group, Hereford Times, Holmer Road, Hereford HR4 9UJ, with your name, address and contact details. Usual competition rules apply. Deadline is midnight on Monday, November 3.

WATERSTONE’S SEPTEMBER TOP 10

1. Brisingr Christopher Paolini 2. Nation Terry Pratchett 3. The Forgotten Garden Kate Morton 4. No Time for Goodbye Linwood Barclay 5. Bones of the Hills Conn Iggulden 6. Metro Rosi McNab 7. Lords of the Bow Conn Iggulden 8. Exit Music Ian Rankin 9. The Road Home Rose Tremain 10. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini