“The glamorous unreliability of Esther Freud’s father, Lucian Freud, is an inescapable force in her novels,” said Markie Robson-Scott on The Arts Desk. Her ninth is a “what if?” exploration of her parents’ relationship: what if her teenage mother, pregnant by the older artist in the 1960s, had had to return home to Ireland to give birth in a hellish home run by nuns?
Rosaleen is the stand-in for her mother, Bernardine Coverley, while Felix Lichtman is the Freud figure, haunting the French pub and ordering oysters in Soho restaurants. The timeline is not always clear, but Freud brings it to life with her “customary skill” and touches of dark humour.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How to figure out when your tax refund will arriveThe explainer How long do you have to wait between submitting your return and receiving the money?
-
'It also means the start of a virtuous ecological cycle'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Canada beats US in charged 4 Nations hockey finalSpeed Read 'You can't take our country — and you can't take our game,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted after the game
-
Tash Aw picks his favourite booksThe Week Recommends From Baldwin to Chekhov, the Malaysian writer shares his top picks
-
Properties of the week: flats and houses in university townsThe Week Recommends Featuring homes in York, Durham and Bath
-
The Years at the Harold Pinter Theatre: an 'unmissable' eveningThe Week Recommends Eline Arbo's 'spellbinding' adaptation of Annie Ernaux's memoir transfers to the West End
-
The White Lotus: a delicious third helping of Mike White's toxic feastThe Week Recommends 'Wickedly funny' comedy-drama stars Jason Isaacs, Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood
-
6 spa-like homes with fabulous bathroomsFeature Featuring a freestanding soaking tub in California and a digital shower system in Illinois
-
Tessa Bailey's 6 favorite books for hopeless romanticsFeature The best-selling author recommends works by Lyla Sage, Sally Thorne, and more
-
Mountains and monasteries in ArmeniaThe Week Recommends An e-bike adventure through the 'rare beauty' of the West Asian nation
-
Manouchet za'atar (za'atar-topped breads) recipeThe Week Recommends Popular Levantine street food is often enjoyed as a breakfast on the go
