Mamele

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A stylish, searing drama about the complicated love between mothers and daughters, the indelible impact of estrangement and one woman fiercely coming into her own.


Fresh and daring'

KATE SAWYER

One of the best books Ive read in a while A real triumph

ELIZABETH MACNEAL

'A complex story about motherhood, inheritance and the things we're willing to forsake in the name of desire'

AMY TWIGG

'A haunting novel Overwhelming and seductive'

LUCIE ELVEN



When my mother washed my hair she crooned, mamele, mamele, into my ear. Little mother, meaning little daughter, meaning youre a good girl, Edie.

Edie lives in a crumbling country house in Broadstairs with her partner Joanna. They have spent over a decade together since the death of Harry, the third member of their polyamorous marriage. Its a quiet, comfortable existence but conversations about the mother who abandoned her have recently awoken in Edie feelings she long thought buried.

As Edies memories unspool childhood days among the gossiping housewives of the mansion block, intense adolescent love affairs, clandestine nights in London clubs she is forced to confront her ghosts and piece together the various parts of herself, as a queer woman and the daughter of a Jewish migr. Now in her early fifties, she wonders whether there is still time to become the woman she once yearned to be.

In Mamele, Gemma Reeves writes with extraordinary deftness about unconventional families, cultural inheritance and separation, loneliness and aching desire.

Reviews

Praise for Mamele

Mamele won my heart. A complex story about motherhood, inheritance and the things we're willing to forsake in the name of desire. Reeves' prose is muscular and moving a triumph. AMY TWIGG, author of Spoilt Creatures

A haunting novel, deeply felt and melodically composed, which asks the question: can we escape the fate our families assign us Overwhelming and seductive. LUCIE ELVEN, author of The Weak Spot

One of the best books Ive read in a while one of those rare, perfect novels where I found myself hurrying back to it but also dreading its end. The characters are alive, gleaming with truth and nuance. The prose is deft, moving, full of surprise. A real triumph; it deserves to soar. ELIZABETH MACNEAL, author of The Doll Factory

I absolutely adored the sensual journey Mamele took me on. Gemmas prose is immersive. It is such a personal story, yet, it feels like a journey of discovery as Edie tells us her story, she is discovering the truth of it for the first time. Mamele is fresh and daring. KATE SAWYER, author of The Stranding

'Theres a wonderful rhythm to Gemma Reeves writing, which is thoughtful and poised and pulled me along from the first page to the last. I found Mamele to be a mesmerising and deeply felt novel about mothers and daughters, inheritance, art, intimacy and desire. Ill be thinking about it for some time' CHLOE ASHBY, author of Wet Paint and Second Self

Author Bio

Gemma Reeves is a writer and teacher who lives and works in London. She graduated with distinction from the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and holds an MA in Twentieth Century Literature from Goldsmiths. She has co-written award-winning non-fiction books and her fiction has been shortlisted for the 2017 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize, Highly Commended in the 2019 Bridport Prize, and longlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize and BBC National Short Story Award in 2020. VICTORIA PARK, Gemma's debut novel, was published by Allen & Unwin (Atlantic Books) in January 2021.