I hadn’t realised this novella was set in Bristol, so it was a real pleasure to recognise streets and places I know! Despite being set in the past, the energy of the city still comes through vividly.
This is a quietly powerful coming-of-age story that follows two sisters who have moved with their parents to Avonmouth, carving out a new identity after relocating from the North.
The novella offers intelligent observations on family life, especially the dynamics between the parents, but its focus ultimately sharpens around one night: a party. This event becomes the lens through which themes of sexual awakening, social class, desire, and identity all unfold. Youthful recklessness and insecurity abound.
The descriptions are particularly evocative: the old dockside pub, the strange, fancy mansion where the party unfolds…it’s all drawn with such precision that the reader is fully immersed.
What really sets this book apart for me is its treatment of early sexual experiences as Hadley allows the girls to retain their agency. The story doesn’t linger on guilt or trauma, but instead acknowledges the complexity of desire and the moments when young women begin to understand and own their experiences, even when they’re messy or imperfect.
There’s a slightly seedy edge to the night, but it never tips fully into darkness. Instead, there’s a sense of balance: a recognition that life, especially when you’re young, is often lived in that space between being completely in the moment and observing it from a distance.
An atmospheric, thoughtful read that lingers long after you’ve finished.
One word: nostalgic.
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