Beauty [Dec]
Synopsis
“Beauty is back in England, having disgraced her family by fleeing an arranged marriage in Bangladesh. Thrown onto the jobseekers’ treadmill, and under increasing domestic pressure, she runs away. Now, with the help of ex-offender Mark, Beauty must decide what she wants for her future – before her brothers find her...â€
Author's Biography
“Born in Oxford within a distinguished academic family, Raphael Selbourne studied politics at Sussex University. He has worked in Italy and China, and since 2004 has taught in the West Midlands, where he now lives. He interrupted an MA in Islamic Studies at Birmingham University to write Beauty.â€
Reviews
“Shocking, explosive and tender – I could not put it down. Selbourne has a brilliant ear for dialogue and real compassion for his characters†— Maggie Gee
“Selbourne writes convincingly both of Beauty’s Bengali household and Mark’s working-class world. Grim and threatening, this first novel is also occasionally very funny.†— Independent
“Selbourne brilliantly plays out a comedy of conflicting cultural and class expectations. He captures perfectly an England of pound shops and Jobcentres.†— Financial Times
£7.99 Paperback