Tell Me Everything: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: stationery shop, Seize the Day, Charlie Canterbury, Molly Drayton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Salway's second novel (after The ABCs of Love), much of Molly Drayton's past is held until the end of the narrative. A scandal involving untoward behavior by her father has landed the unhappily overweight Molly without money or connections in an out-of-the-way English suburb. A dirty old man, stationer Mr. Roberts, takes stern pity on her and offers Molly a room above his shop in exchange for some shelving work, albeit with "conditions." The latter include climbing a ladder and spinning stories about her life while Mr. Roberts gropes her ample calves. Molly obliges with more and more elaborate dissembling, which will catch up with her just as she manages to make a few friends in the neighborhood: Miranda, the similarly weight-battling haircutter across the street whose habit of trading compliments with Molly is suspect; attractive, sweet, delusional Tim, who thinks he's a secret agent; and lonely-hearts librarian Liz, who urges Molly to read The Story of O to build character. Salway's characters are deeply estranged from the mainstream and too calculating to be sympathetic, except perhaps Mr. Roberts, married to a Frenchwoman whose attractiveness overtaxes his poor, dirty heart. Salway's book is a frustrating study in the intimate layering of deception. (Nov.)
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Product Description

“I galloped through this book–couldn’t stop once I’d started. The writing’s so spare and yet the message so complex. It’s spiky, sparky, pithy, and deep.”
–Kate Long, author of The Bad Mother’s Handbook


She didn’t mean to tell the story, or have it end that way. She just got a little . . . carried away.

It has been several years since she confided in her teacher, and Molly Drayton is still feeling the aftershocks. But when a chance meeting with a stranger leads to an offer of a room in exchange for telling stories, Molly jumps at the chance. Slowly, she builds an eccentric new family: Tim, her secretive boyfriend, who just might be a spy; Miranda, the lovelorn hairstylist; Liz, the lusty librarian; and Mr. Roberts, a landlord who listens, and his wife who is that very wonderful thing, French.

Much to Molly’s surprise, she finds that the stories she now tells are her key to creating a completely different life. Suddenly, her future is full of possibilities. The trouble is, Molly’s not the only one telling tales.

Sarah Salway’s witty, finely tuned, and poignant novel is an utterly entrancing chronicle of a unique coming-of-age, capturing the imagination as it explores what we reveal to others, how honest we are with ourselves, and the consequences of trying to bridge fact and fiction.


Praise for The ABCs of Love

“An innovatively told and exquisitely written novel about friendship, love, and life that sneaks up on you with just how extraordinary it is.”
–Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date

“Charming and darkly funny.”
–Marie Claire (UK)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345481003
• ISBN-13: 978-0345481009
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,856,003 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In an English setting, November 29, 2006

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Sarah Salway is the author of The ABCs of Love. Tell Me Everything is her second novel.

Molly Drayton is an overweight, lonely and unhappy young woman. She's been adrift for several years, actually since her biology teacher said, "You can tell me anything." Molly believed her teacher and told her a story about her father and what he did to her. It was when she first learned the power telling stories held.

Molly finds herself in an English suburb, sitting at a cafe table crying. Mr. Roberts, a shop owner takes pity on Molly and offers her a job and the room above his shop in exchange for 'telling' him stories about her life. The stories don't have to be real, but are sexual and told while Molly's atop a ladder and Mr. Roberts is groping her meaty calves.

A few other lonely people stray into Molly's life and seem to settle in. Miranda is a hairdresser, who is also battling the 'bulge.' and gives Molly endless compliments. Tim is as near to a boyfriend as Molly has ever had and he's sweet but a bit 'daft.' He believes he's a secret agent. Liz is the local librarian who urges Molly to read The Story of O.

Salway's story is dark, disturbing and depressing, and the characters seem so over-the-top that it's difficult to feel anything for them. Most of the time, it's not apparent what is real and what isn't, and that adds to the novel's dreariness.

Armchair Interviews says: This isn't a book for everyone. Readers will probably really love it--or dislike it.

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so, March 11, 2007

By	English major (Florida) - See all my reviews

This book is unusual, I'll give it that. It's almost like a fantasy, as it doesn't quite seem believable. I wasn't that impressed, but at the same time I wanted to finish it. It's not much of a plot, but I was curious to see the outcome of the Tim/Molly storyline.

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! , February 16, 2007

By	Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

TELL ME EVERYTHING by Sarah Salway
February 15, 2007

Rating: 4 Stars

I found Tell Me Everything by Sarah Salway a wonderful read. What made this book special wasn't the plot, but the characters. At the core of the story is Molly Drayton, an overweight adult in her 20's, who is searching for happiness and acceptance, something she didn't feel she had growing up. There is a secret she carries that is hinted at throughout, a secret that is the driving force behind her, actions in which her life seems to have become one big lie.

She lives in a one-bedroom apartment above a shop owned by an elderly Mr. Roberts, who hires her to tell him stories of her life and to do the odd job around the shop. In exchange, she gets free room and board and occasionally some money on the side. Molly figures out early on that Mr. Roberts is looking for stories that will titillate him. So she learns to give him what he wants to hear, using her own life as the basis of her stories, but embellishing them with outrageous fabrications to give her life stories a little bit of excitement. Even the reader will soon lose sight of what is made up and what is real, as Molly constantly makes up stories, and it's not just with Mr. Roberts.

Other quirky characters include a librarian that befriends Molly, a hairdresser that becomes Molly's close friend and Molly's elusive boyfriend, Tim, who thinks he's an under cover agent. The cast of characters sounds a bit odd, but Sarah Salway seems to be a master at putting these oddball characters together and making a cohesive story work.

This book isn't for everybody, but for those who enjoy books that are character driven and filled with quirky people, this is it. I found all the characters equally interesting, but the focus is on Molly, who starts out as overweight and not very confident, and ends up as a much thinner woman who finds that the power of her stories can get her places, or at least that is what she thinks. I for one wasn't sure whether I should feel appalled by Molly's behavior, or feel sorry for her. This book will be on my list of favorite books read in 2007.