One of the 20 Longlisted titles for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011.
June 2010 Debut of the Month.
Dealing with one of the big taboos this is a stunning and moving debut. When Susanna searches out the father who has been absent all her life she conceals her identity and begins an affair with him. Repeat it Today with Tears is in many ways a traditional love story,
as well as a skilful 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. This is a book written with grace and eloquence and Anne Peile is a striking new voice in
fiction who we predict big things from.
This is a transgressive love story by a singular new voice. A secretive child by nature, Susanna makes a covert list of everything she knows about her absent father, waiting for the day that she is reunited with him. Deeply unhappy at home, living with her overbearing mother and promiscuous sister, she stays out of the house as much as possible. When she finally discovers her father's name 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.
Anne Peile was born in London; she has lived in the South West and Belfast and worked as a cook, writing emails for the BBC and in educational support. She works for a London bookstore.
