Things My Mother Never Told Me

Description

'The must-read book of the year, Blake Morrison writes about his mother with the mind of a poet, the eye of a detective and the heart of a loving son' Tony Parsons In his masterpiece of family literature, And When Did you Last See Your Father?, Blake Morrison's mother appears as an intriguing but mostly silent figure. This is her startling and touching story - and a son's search to discover the truth about the remarkable Kerry girl who qualified as a doctor in Dublin in 1942, worked in British hospitals throughout the war, and then reinvented herself again to adapt to a quieter post-war family life. At the heart of the book there's a passionate wartime love affair, seen through the frank, funny, furious letters his parents wrote during their courtship. It evokes a surprising picture of life and love in WWII. From the obstacles the lovers faced, to their moments of hilarity and joy Things My Mother Never Told Me is a revealing and poignant anatomy of family conflict, love, war, and finally marriage. Kim Morrison emerges quietly, magically from the shadows, a determined heroine for our times.

Born in Skipton, Yorkshire, Blake Morrison is the author of the bestselling memoir, And When Did You Last See Your Father?, two novels, South of the River and The Last Weekend, and a study of the Bulger case, As If. He is also a poet, critic, journalist and librettist. He teaches Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College, and lives in south London.

[Morrison's] prose has the diamond cut of a poet's eye, and his story is suffused with warmth and longing-he has brought [his mother] vividly to life in an outstanding work of family literature * Independent * Honest, funny and touching, this is a loving tribute from a son to his mother * Sunday Mirror * Morrison constructs the book beautifully, as always... Fine writing and expert editing...with Morrison's usual virtues of unsentimental observation and expert storytelling * Sunday Times * A marvellous example of what a zen-like act of sustained attention can do to honour and illuminate the ordinary... It has a universality * Evening Standard * A scintillating read... Not only a fine evocation of the period, but also a fascinating study of a marriage * GQ *