Book description
The last time Dodie sees her mother, Stella, she is wearing a red
velvet dress from the 1970s - and is unusually animated. Soon after,
Dodie's teenage brother Zak goes missing. The only trace of him is a
cryptic postcard addressed from the Soul Life Centre in New York
State. When Dodie returns to confront her mother about Zak, she
finds her dead, her battle with depression finally over. As Dodie
crosses the Atlantic in search of her brother, a parallel narrative
tells the life of her mother in the 1970s. Eventually, the two
stories collide in an exhilirating conclusion.
I>is Lesley Glaister at the top of her game. The last time Dodie
sees her mother alive, Stella is unusually busy, tattily splendid in an
old red velvet dress. Soon after this, Dodie's brother Seth goes
missing: the only trace of him is through postcards signed 'Yours in the
Lord' addresses from the Soul Life Centre, New York state. When Stella
hangs herself, Dodie must leave her baby Jake at home and cross the
Atlantic to bring Seth beck from the mysterious Soul Life Centre. But
when she arrives, Seth is always one day away from seeing her. She
becomes drawn - not always willingly - into the Brothers and Sisters'
communal living, meditation, fasting and chanting. Until baby Jake
unexpectedly arrives at Soul Life and events take a shocking turn for
Dodie. In a parallel narrative, Stella's sister Melanie tells the story
of their teenage years in the 1970s and their shared affair with Bogart,
a messianic hippy with shrewd ambition. These two compelling stories
collide in a series of shocking revelations and an exhilarating
conclusion. Heartfelt and frightening,
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