Bitter In The Mouth
By (Author) Monique Truong
Vintage Publishing
Vintage
15th August 2011
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Narrative theme: Coming of age
Family life fiction
813.6
Paperback
304
Width 130mm, Height 198mm, Spine 19mm
214g
A beguilingly original Southern gothic family novel with a sharp and minty twist, by an acclaimed writer with a sensual, surprising imagination and a compelling way with words. Growing up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, in the '70s and '80s, Linda Hammerick knows that she is different. She has strong, almost paralysing associations between words and tastes; she doesn't look like everyone else; and she isn't popular at school. She finds her way through life with the help of her great uncle 'Baby' Harper, who loves her and loves to dance, and her best friend fat-thin-fat Kelly with whom she has been exchanging letters since they were seven. But then a tragedy and a revelation will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
A mouthwateringly delicious read; it also snaps with irresistible wit. This could have remained a slender coming-of-age tale. In fact, it develops into one of real substance * Daily Mail *
Family secrets, first love and teen betrayals all make up the novel's classic menu * Independent *
Piercingly eloquent...richly drawn characters...captivating pace * New York Times *
Southern cadences resonate, imbuing Bitter In The Mouth with a warmth and wit that form a perfect foil for the Southern gothic undercurrents that propel it towards its gorgeous, heart-warming resolution * Herald *
A revelation of wit and heart and stunning talent. Truong shades her classic coming of age tale with a magical ferocity that recalls Doctorow and Nabokov....a soulful hymn to the hands we fashion with the cards we're dealt -- Jayne Anne Phillips
Monique Truong was born in Vietnam and moved to the USA in 1975 as a child, shortly before the fall of Saigon. Her first novel, The Book of Salt, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, was a New York Times Notable Book and was critically acclaimed ( 'a rich, poetic feast' Guardian; 'a tart delight' Scotland on Sunday; 'recalls Ishiguro or Pat Barker' The Times; 'highly original' Spectator). She lives in New York.