Paperboy - Hardcover

Fowler, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385615574 ISBN 13: 9780385615570

Publisher: Doubleday, 2009

Synopsis

"Superman", "Dracula", "The Avengers", "Treasure Island"...when you're ten years old, you can fall in love with any story so long as it's a good one. But what if you're growing up in a house without books? Christopher Fowler's memoir captures life in suburban London as it has rarely been seen: through the eyes of a lonely boy who spends his days between the library and the cinema, devouring novels, comics, cereal packets - anything that might reveal a story. But it's 1960, and after fifteen years of post-war belt-tightening, his family is not ready to indulge a child cursed with too much imagination...Caught between an ever-sensible but exhausted mother and a DIY-obsessed father fighting his own demons, Christopher takes refuge in words.His parents try to understand their son's peculiar obsessions, but fast lose patience with him - and each other. The war of nerves escalates to include every member of the Fowler family, and something has to give, but does it mean that a boy must always give up his dreams for the tough lessons of real life? Beautifully written, this rich and astute evocation of a time and a place recalls a childhood at once eccentric and endearingly ordinary.

About this title

About the Author

Christopher Fowler was the multiple award-winning author of almost fifty novels and short story collections, including the celebrated Bryant & May mysteries. His other novels include Roofworld, Spanky, The Sand Men and Hot Water. He has also written two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy (winner of the Green Carnation Prize) and Film Freak, plus The Book of Forgotten Authors and Peculiar London, Bryant and May's singular and eccentric guide to the city. In 2015 Chris was awarded the Crime Writers Association's coveted 'Dagger in the Library' for his body of work. He lived in London and Barcelona. Diagnosed with cancer just as the UK went into lockdown in 2020, Chris died on 2nd March 2023.

From the Back Cover

When we reached Reynold s Place, where William Fowler and Mrs Fowler lived, my mother tidied my hair and pushed me toward the front door. You knock, she said, knowing that I was awkward in formal situations. I m sure your grandmother will be pleased to see you. I knocked and waited. A thumping sound grew inside the still house. The great black door creaked open. Balanced on her ebony stick, a great navy blue dress and coat appeared before me, topped with a stern face and a wicker hat like an upturned bucket. You re late, said Mrs Fowler, stepping aside to let me in. Go into the front room and don t touch a single thing while I have words with your mother. She did not approve of kissing. As I passed, she snatched the book from under my arm. You won t be needing that, she told me, it ll be full of germs and bad ideas. She left it on the rainy step outside.

From the Inside Flap

Superman, Dracula, Treasure Island, The Avengers when you re ten years old you can fall in love with any story, so long as it s a good one. But what do you do if you re growing up in a home without books? Christopher Fowler s childhood memoir captures life in suburban London through the eyes of a lonely boy who spends his days between the library and the cinema devouring novels, comics, cereal boxes anything that might reveal a story. But it is 1960, and after fifteen years of post-war belt-tightening, his family s not quite ready to indulge a child cursed with too much imagination Caught between an ever-sensible, exhausted mother and a DIY-obsessed father fighting his own demons, Christopher takes refuge in words. His parents try to understand their son s peculiar obsession but they fast lose patience with him and each other. As the war of nerves escalates to include every member of the Fowler family, something has to give, but do the tough lessons of real life mean a boy must always let go of his dreams? By turns moving, painful and touchingly funny, Paperboy recalls the days when Vesta Chow Mein was considered the height of sophistication and reading was regarded as something that would just hurt your eyes. The story of a childhood at once eccentric and endearingly normal, this does for storytelling what Nigel Slater s Toast did for food.

Edition details

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385615574
• ISBN 13: 9780385615570
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304