Zelda is terrified that her love affair is about to end, and she prays for something - anything - to prevent the inevitable heartbreak. Then she is told that her father has hanged himself. His death brings back intense memories of her childhood and all that remains unspoken in her family. Zelda hides much from her mother, even the lover she would give anything to keep. With questions she can no longer ignore, Zelda for the first time begins to search for her father's truth and pieces together clues to his suffering. And by confronting her dark and disturbing memories, she opens up to intimacy with her family, with her lover, with herself.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews
English writer Glaister's specialty has been gripping, spooky little horror shows involving nasty wipe-outs and creepy eccentrics in decaying digs (Limestone and Clay, 1994, etc.). Here, however-- in a tale about a young woman coming to grips with a legacy of cruelty--the subtleties of the psyche's netherworld are blunted by a shrill first-person narration, held to a high C of anguish. Just before the phone call announcing her father's suicide, Griselda (``Zelda'' to her lover, ``Grizzle'' to the family) soaks in the tub, ``wet and sad,'' contemplating what she regards as inevitable: Foxy, her lesbian lover, will leave her. Yet even the love of Foxy has not always allowed Grizzle to sleep some nights, as she remembers the terror of hearing as a child the screams of anguish from her father's nightmares. The cause of the screams was not the only bewildering secret held by Daddy, a man who spent years in a WW II Japanese prison camp. Why was he so good and kind to ten-year-old Vassily, a kid none of his peers could stand--with his yellow chisel face, disfigured chest, and deafness to boot? A born misfit, a born victim. Why did Daddy, wondered Grizzle and sister Hazel, take Vass for treats and projects and make the girls let him in the treehouse, where Grizzle kept her ant farm and Hazel gossiped with a best friend? How, exactly, did Vass come to be the victim of a hideous assault? In the present, Zelda finally discovers the source of her father's agonies. She also tends Vass's dying (ex-prostitute) mother, and confronts an adult Vassily, before at last managing to put some demons to rest. Glaister mixes a cool victim/tormenter tale with the heated pulse of an obsessed love affair--and the two don't seem to meld in tone. Still, she keeps one reading. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Lesley Glaister was born in Wellingborough. She teaches a Master's Degree in Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. She is the author of HONOUR THY FATHER, TRICK OR TREAT, DIGGING TO AUSTRALIA, LIMESTONE AND CLAY, PARTIAL ECLIPSE, THE PRIVATE PARTS OF WOMEN, SHEER BLUE BLISS and most recently NOW YOU SEE ME, all available from Bloomsbury. She lives in Sheffield.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a great book i strongly advise,
By A Customer
This review is from: Easy Peasy (Paperback)
i first decided to read easy peast for a comparrative english a level essay. i decided that it wanst right for my essay but couldnt put it down. Lesley Glaister reeally talks from the heart and i became to really realate to what she was saying. i advise this book to anyone especailly anyone who has lost someone close, it realy makes you think and helps to understand how people feel. i didnt want to put this book down and was always left wondering what next. you wont regret reading this book!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So worth the risk!,
This review is from: Easy Peasy (Hardcover)
When I read the brief story description of this book, I was not very sure it was going to be something I would enjoy. But this book captivated me completely. Everyone can relate to this book on some level...and even if you see no similarity to your own struggle, you will appreciate the brutal honesty of this story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A stunning masterpiece,
By A Customer
This review is from: Easy Peasy (Hardcover)
This book is a work of genius. It is a sad, eery tale of the strange, twisted past of a woman called Zelda. Glaister paints marvellous, vivid images that will leave you breathless. She never wastes a single word. This is definitely one of the best books I have ever read.
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