Out of the Picture

To argue that this is a run-of-the-mill piece of modern fiction is to do it perhaps the greatest disservice. I doubt any author of the past two decades has been able to so successfully capture the nuances and insecurities of the human psyche as well as Polly Samson has in her debut novel. Dialogue is crisp and flows with the narration; no one ever says something that the reader cannot understand, so astute is the writers characterisation. The heartache of the lead character may relate directly to Samson's own youth, or that of her son - I have no idea, or desire to know. Regardless, everyone will be able to identify with her desires, her sense of loss and pain, and above all, the never-ending search for something better.It is a delightful book, which deserves to be read and re-read.