The Outcast - Sadie Jones

The Outcast
Sadie Jones
Chatto & Windus

This is a story about life, love, grief and the consequences of a child denied the love and assurance of a father. 1957 and 19 year old Lewis is going back to his home in South England after 2 years in jail. He is returning to a community of 50's middle-class England whose church-going, stiff mannered appearance hides darker secretly abusive lives. 10 years earlier Lewis’s mother had died in an accident while on a picnic with Lewis. Grief stricken Lewis looked to his father for support and assurance. When denied, Lewis’s grief turns into a rage with terrible consequences.

Jones is a fresh and evocative new literary voice. She deals with very dark topics with great insight and sensitivity. I found myself thinking and worrying about the characters long after I had finished the last page. This book is well deserving of the Orange Prize.