The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy

 

This was an incredibly engaging novel; it has to be one of the best books I’ve read recently!

 

This is the story of Philippa Smith’s life, starting with her birth in 1965. Alongside this, there are chapters which detail Philippa’s present life in 2006, featuring the birth of her very own daughter. The two timelines slot seamlessly together and merge perfectly towards the end of the book. Helena, Philippa’s mother, is young and unmarried; leaving London behind with a Harrod’s bag full of nappies, she heads to Torquay with Philippa. Torquay becomes the place where friendships are made, lifelong bonds are formed, and secrets are both buried and revealed.

 

The Generation Game spans the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties and finishes comfortably in the 2000’s. We are treated to some really nostalgic memories within the chapters, which I’m sure, will be familiar with many! Each chapter that tells Philippa’s history is named after a game show and there are references to major news events dotted throughout. The characters are all brilliant; I loved and rooted for each one of them. The writing is fantastic and the story has such depth to it, with many layers and numerous small reveals connecting everything with each turn of the page.

 

The synopsis on the back of the book does a great job of detailing the overall story, but doesn’t hint in any way to the bottomless pit of indulgent fiction between the covers, a veritable feast of a story! I’m not going to say anything more about it, as I really enjoyed finding out every single unknown detail for myself and want future readers to experience the same.

 

Please don’t miss this one, the characters will stay with me for a while and I know I will remember the story for a long time to come.

 

You can find and follow this author at – http://www.sophieduffy.com/ or https://twitter.com/sophiestenduffy