LoveReading Says
April 2009 Debut of the Month.
The story of three very different families in one square seen mostly through the eyes of an eleven-year old girl. There is an innocence to her narration but certainly not to the content. In a very disturbing portrait of contemporary society we have her asking questions, sometimes humorously, to the sequence of tragedies that run their course in this tale of dreadful occurrences. It made me both laugh and cry as all good novels should.
Comparison: Patricia Wood.
Below is a 'piece of passion' from Annabel Wright, editor of Broken...
"Compelling, emotionally engaging fiction of the highest order, Broken is a gripping story about what happens to a group of neighbours after an act of thoughtless spite sets off a chain of catastrophic events.
The novel opens in a hospital where Skunk, an 11-year-old girl in a coma, is remembering the day her neighbour, Bob Oswald, stormed out of his house and punched Rick Buckley, the shy young man who lived across the square. From this explosive beginning it quickly becomes clear that Skunk’s fate is somehow tied to those of the terrifying Oswald family and of Rick, who – traumatised by the bullying Oswalds – breaks down.
Things go from bad to worse in Skunk’s formerly quiet suburban square as the people she loves are drawn into the violence that the Oswalds’ behaviour precipitates. As the narrative speeds to a nail-biting climax, Skunk’s voice – clear, bright, funny and unaffected – imbues the story with warmth, humour and optimism, transforming it from a dark satire of modern Britain into an uplifting book about love and family, about growing up, and about the surprising resilience of innocence.
A remarkably fluent and confident debut novel, Broken was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Best First Book Award and the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize."
Sarah Broadhurst
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Broken Synopsis
An edgy, affecting, and darkly funny debut novel narrated by Skunk, an eleven-year-old girl in a coma that explores innocence and its betrayal as powerfully and unforgettably as do Lullabies for Little Criminals and The Lovely BonesSkunk Cunninghams world is a small one, populated by her family; her teachers and schoolmates; and her neighbours, the quiet Buckley family and the five terrifying Oswald girls and their thug of a father, Bob.When Saskia Oswald, with her stilettos and tight pants, asks shy Rick Buckley for a ride in his new car, he cant believe his luck. But after a quick fumble, Saskia broadcasts Ricks deficiencies to anyone who will listen, including her younger sisters. This act of thoughtless cruelty will see Rick dragged off by the police, humiliated, and broken, and, in a tragic chain of events, will leave Skunk hanging on to her young life by a thread.From her hospital bed, Skunk shows us her hapless father finding love, and her idealistic favourite teacher losing it; Broken Buckley spiralling into madness; and the Oswald clan coming apart at the seams. As we inch ever closer to the mystery behind her coma, Skunks innocence becomes a beacon by which we navigate a world as comic as it is tragic, and as engaging as it is finally uplifting. Broken introduces Daniel Clay as a brilliant and utterly original voice in international fiction.From the Trade Paperback edition.
About This Edition
Daniel Clay Press Reviews
‘There are many good things here: it’s bold, prescient, engaging and oddly
touching.’ Guardian
‘A seething indignation propels the narrative to its
violent conclusion.’ Arena
‘This is a novel whose plot and vivid,
pared-down imagery bravely patrol the terrifying border at which the human blurs
into the bestial and inanimate…remarkably controlled and disciplined…Clay’s
triumph is in exploring the kindness and love that might heal and restore – and
what it is to feel fully alive.’ Anita Sethi, Independent
‘It’s funny and
sad and moving…and ultimately very engaging.’ Francesca Segal,
Observer
‘A moving, intriguing and at times funny debut novel.’ Daily
Express
