Items related to Offcomer
Set in Lancashire, Oxford and Belfast, Offcomer (Lancashire dialect for an outsider) tells the story of Claire. Claire - in her own words, 'Jewish-ish' - is the daughter of a Jewish mother adopted when young by Gentiles, and a Gentile father. She is a young woman with little self-esteem, little sense of who she is and little in the way of feeling beyond her regular recourse to cutting her ankle with a razor. Offcomer tells Claire's story from Oxford University to Northern Ireland, of her disastrous relationship with a young academic and the emergence of secrets from her mother's past, to her gradual acceptance of herself as she finds a path to some level of self-esteem and self-worth. Offcomer is a truly remarkable debut, a novel of quiet and real power.
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Review:
A quiet but powerful first novel about a young woman called Claire, who is working in a Belfast pub. The story opens with Claire mutilating herself by cutting her ankle. We learn that she is the daughter of a Jewish mother adopted when young by Gentiles, and has no sense of self-worth. We discover more about her life and her friends and lovers, one of whom is the boyfriend of her closest friend, Grainne. Instead of sinking into a pit of despair, Claire gradually finds her own level and a measure of self-esteem. It is a strange, rather sad story, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, and the writing is very strong. A newcomer to watch.
From the Publisher:
A moving, quietly powerful and remarkably psychologically acute examination of a troubled young woman’s life and mind, in the tradition of Camilla Gibb’s Mouthing the Words and Andrea Ashworth’s Once in a House on Fire.
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- PublisherWilliam Heinemann Ltd
- Publication date2002
- ISBN 10 0434009296
- ISBN 13 9780434009299
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages304
- Rating
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