Before We Began - Softcover

Unsworth, Tania

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0670912808 ISBN 13: 9780670912803

Publisher: Fig Tree, 2006

Synopsis

"There was nowhere to go and nothing to do. Absolutely, definitely nothing to do. Even the matter of our boredom - held up and studied from all sides - had long since been exhausted as a topic of conversation. We sat around the shed in a vacant silence, broken only by the rustling of Julia's fingers as she picked at the insides of the sofa. "All we ever do is sit around" I complained.

Sophie Barrett lives an odd, cautious, life until the morning she arrives to find her colleague has committed suicide in the basement of the shop where they both work. The death raises frightening, long-buried questions that Sophie can no longer afford to ignore.

To answer them, she must return to the summer she was fourteen and a friendship between three very different girls, bound together by time, place and a life-changing secret. Julia, all energy and swagger, Nancy, lost in her own peculiar universe and Sophie, the follower, fearful and admiring. But while they dream, events are already in motion that will propel them towards tragedy, taking their innocence and threatening their friendship itself.

About this title

Review:

A gripping mystery...Unsworth evokes the girls' dreamy listless days with a sure and light touch (The Daily Telegraph)

Unsworth writes about the strange dynamics and casual betrayals of female friendships with wonderful insight. She's witty, observant, heartbreaking and - ultimately - hopeful (The Times)

Unsworth writes with a truthfulness and lightness of touch that elevates this tale above and beyond your usual coming of age story. It's a genuinely gripping and moving read (Daily Mail)

Her observations are acute; her prose is expertly controlled, fluent and at times poetic while her characters are portayed with great skill and humour (Guardian)

This is one of those books you can't stop thinking about and can't put down. A brilliant read (Easy Living)

About the Author:

Tania Unsworth lives in Boston, Massachusetts. This is her second novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fig Tree
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0670912808
• ISBN 13: 9780670912803
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256