Vanda

‘Vanda’ is an unflinchingly honest look at a relationship between mothers and sons. But it's a dark tale albeit one full of love. I found it very compelling and loved the character of Vanda. She is a complex character, full of light and shades, shaped with empathy and full of nuances.Vanda is a mother of a six-year boy called Noe and is devoted to him, he is her reason for getting up in the morning and submitting to societal demands. Vanda is a free spirit, one who doesn't prescribe to normal ideals, she lives in a hut on the beach, one that floods with high tides, throws beach parties, goes out drinking and leaves her son sleeping in the car... There is no denying that she loves Noe with all her heart though. When Simon returns to Marseille due to his mother's death he catches up with Vanda only to be told he is Noe’s father. He hadn't planned on having kids but once he knows he has to scratch that itch. He steadily becomes concerned with Vanda’s behaviour towards her son and this leads to the final showdown in the book.The author can make the reader empathise with all parties in the book and that is a skill. There are personal reasons why I became engaged with the book though as there are parts of it where I can recognise parts of my childhood, albeit I always had a safe environment. But the hippy mum, check. Wild adventures, check. The love between Vanda and Noe, check. This is what shines off the pages - love and what makes this story special. It makes me think of Hideously Kinky in that sense.I really enjoyed this one. Let me know if you read it.

This is the story of Vanda who is a young woman on the edge of society. She is managing reasonably well with her young six year old son, living in a shack on the beach. It’s an alternative lifestyle but it seems to suit her and her child. She works at a psychiatric unit and this enables her to get by financially but she is only just about holding everything together – childcare, work, social life and home – and at times it is a real stretch for her.She is perceived as a person on the fringes because she looks different, she has innumerable tattoos and is dark skinned, and of course she lives in what appears to be a basic beach hut. Yet she is coping. To be honest, it isn’t a great life by conventional standards and as a reader, conditioned by society, it is concerning to see how and where mother and son live. It is certainly an uncomfortable read at times.Then Simon – the child’s father – arrives back from Paris because his mother has died and he needs to clear her apartment. He meets up with Vanda and only now discovers he is the child’s father. He dithers about what to do, should he return to Paris, should he take an active part in the child’s life?There is quite a lot of social commentary in the novel, a kind of ‘live and let live’ thread. It examines how a familial eco system works, particularly one that has been cobbled together out of necessity and how ultimately it can be so easily destabilised.This is a short and thought provoking read. There is a decent sense of place and the translation is seamless.

In Vanda we see a character who lives on the edge of society. She’s bringing up a child the only way she knows how. Her world is different to that of everyone else, and her friends are the others on the same fringes of the society. Nothing about Vanda is everyday and she knows that she’s disapproved of.Her son Noé, otherwise known as Limpet, has a strange relationship with his mother, understandably. And life is about to change for them in the most shocking of ways, when his father appears and life takes turns that are shocking and heart rending.This isn’t a long book, but I think it’s one of those books that needs to be read, if only to learn how others live who don’t have familial support and a comfortable life.With thanks to Anne Cater, Bitter Lemon Press and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.

Vanda is a woman in her thirties, heavily tattooed and dark skinned. She has a six year old sim, Noé, who means everything to her. Life is hard for them, living in a run down shack on the beach in Marseille, but they have each other and together they are invincible.But when Noé’s father, Simon, reappears after a long absence and discovers he has a child, everything changes. All of which Vanda has fought for dangles perilously. This can’t end well…Translated from the French, this is a bleak and unsettling tale; the unflinching and almost matter of fact details of poverty and desperate hunger really hit a nerve. And Vanda herself is a paradox; her love for her son is all consuming, but then I found myself questioning many of the choices you made.Rich with detail, vivid with imagery, this story is unforgiving and compelling, with an explosive denouement thrown in to finish it all off. Vanda is a woman like no other, she’s strong, fearless and formidable. I admired her, but I also wanted to shake her on occasion!Captivating and compelling, this author is one to look out for.