26a by Diana Evans
Identical twins, Georgia and Bessi, live in the loft of 26 Waifer Avenue. It is a place of beanbags, nectarines and secrets, and visitors must always knock before entering. Down below there is not such harmony. Their Nigerian mother puts cayenne pepper on her Yorkshire pudding and has mysterious ways of dealing with homesickness; their father angrily roams the streets of Neasden, prey to the demons of his Derbyshire upbringing. Forced to create their own identities, the Hunter children build a separate universe. Older sister Bel discovers sex, high heels and organic hairdressing, the twins prepare for a flapjack empire, while baby sister Kemy learns to moonwalk for Michael Jackson. It is when the reality comes knocking that the fantasies of childhood start to give way. How will Georgia and Bessi cope in a world of separateness and solitude, and which of them will be stronger? Wickedly funny and devastatingly moving, 26a is an extraordinary first novel. Part fairytale, part nightmare, it moves from the mundane to the magical, the particular to the universal with exceptional flair and imagination. It is for anyone who has had a childhood, and anyone who knows what it is to lose one.
In her early thirties, Diana Evans is a graduate of the UEA Creative Writing course, having previously worked as a reviewer and features writer for Pride magazine. She writes for numerous publications including the Independent and The Evening Standard, and has published a number of short stories. She lives in West London.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780701177966 |
| ISBN 10 | 0701177969 |
| Title | 26a |
| Author | Diana Evans |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2005-03-24 |
| Number of pages | 240 |
| Prizes | Winner of British Book Awards: Writer of the Year 2006, Winner of Orange Award for New Writers 2005, Short-listed for Whitbread Book Awards: First Novel Category 2005, Short-listed for Orange Prize 2005 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |