My Name Is Leon

Kit de Waal author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd

Published:6th Apr '17

£9.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

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My Name Is Leon cover

A brother chosen. A brother left behind. And a family where you'd least expect to find one.

A TIMES and INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE IRISH NOVEL PRIZE

Soon to be a major BBC film starring Sir Lenny Henry, Malachi Kirby, Monica Dolan, Olivia Williams and Christopher Eccleston.

It's 1981, a year of riots and royal weddings. The Dukes of Hazzard is on TV. Curly Wurlys are in the shops. And trying to find a place in it all is nine-year-old Leon. He and his little brother Jake have gone to live with Maureen. They've lost one home, but have they found another?

Maureen feeds and looks after them. She has wild red hair and mutters swearwords under her breath when she thinks they can't hear. She claims everything will be okay. But will they ever see their mother again? Who are the couple who secretly visit Jake? Between the street violence and the street parties, Leon must find a way to reunite his family . . .

'Startlingly funny. Balances the gritty with the feel good' Observer

'Vivid and endearing - a very powerful book' Emma Healey, bestselling author of Elizabeth is Missing

'Authentic and beautiful, urgent and honest, this novel makes room in your heart' Chris Cleave, bestselling author of The Other Hand

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD& THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE

Tender and heart-breaking -- Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'
A beautiful story told with compassion, urgency and wit -- Stephen Kelman, author of the Booker-shortlisted 'Pigeon English'
Vivid and endearing - a very powerful book -- Emma Healey, bestselling author of 'Elizabeth is Missing'
Leon is pure goodwill in a wicked world, and he won't leave you when you put this unique book down. Authentic and beautiful, urgent and honest, this novel does what only the best do: it quietly makes room in your heart. At the end of the story I couldn't bear to close the book on Leon. I felt I was abandoning him. I wanted to talk about it straight away with someone else who'd read it, and I know a great many readers will feel the same. -- Chris Cleave, bestselling author of 'The Other Hand'
Beautiful and heartbreaking - I cried buckets of tears for Leon and his family -- Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of 'The Last Act of Love'
The unforgettable story of a boy struggling to belong, and the author captures both his mindset and the period impeccably. Heartbreaking and uplifting - just read it * Daily Mail *
Everything in My Name Is Leon rings true. It's an everyday story and this actually makes it more powerful: these are the lows and joys of real life. Someone will be living them as you read * Emerald Street *
Beguiling, tender, funny, compassionate ... entirely heartbreaking without being bleak * Sunday Express *

  • Short-listed for Desmond Elliott Prize 2017
  • Short-listed for Costa First Novel Award 2016

ISBN: 9780241973387

Dimensions: 197mm x 130mm x 17mm

Weight: 205g

288 pages