Repeat It Today With Tears

"Repeat It Today With Tears" by Anne Peile, published by Serpent's Tail. A transgressive love story by a singular new voice. ''An enthralling and frightening story, and a wonderful evocation of pre-punk teenage London'' (Tessa Hadley).A secretive child by nature, Susanna makes a covert list of everything she knows about her absent father, determined that one day she will find him. Unable and unwilling to adapt to life in her mother's unsympathetic household, she distances herself as much as possible. When she finally discovers her father's whereabouts and seeks him out, in the free and unconventional atmosphere of 1970s Chelsea, she conceals her identity, beginning an illicit affair that can only end in disaster. ''The story of an incestuous affair is a vivid, convincing study of doomed obsession...The obvious comparison is to Ian McEwan's The Cement Garden – not just because of the subject matter, but for the dream-like feel of the narration and the inevitability of how horrible reality is going to be when it rips the fantasy apart... this is a beautiful book: Peile's writing is evocative and her characters – strong and beguiling – will stay in the mind for a long time.'' - Alice Fisher, The GuardianRepeat It Today With Tears is in many ways a traditional love story, as well as a skillful evocation of radical times and desires. It is a fever dream that examines our need to be loved and accepted and a piercing portrait of madness. Anne Peile is a striking new voice in fiction.Anne Peile is a Londoner. To earn a living she has folded jerseys for Joseph Ettedgui, baked cakes, written emails for the BBC, taught literacy, served in the world's most famous bookshop and run a seaside museum. Currently, she works in Whitehall. Repeat It Today with Tears, her debut novel, was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011. Her second novel, Seeing the World, is set against the backdrop of the Kennedy era. Book details: 256 pages, published 2011;2010. Order now on BookShops.in with fast, reliable delivery across India.