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A review by serendipitysbooks
This Lovely City by Louise Hare
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
This Lovely City was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It centres on Laurie Matthews, a young Jamaican who arrived in the UK on the Empire Windrush. Life hasn’t been easy for Lawrie but after two years he’s got a job as a postal deliverer, plays clarinet with a band in nightclubs , and plans to marry Evie, the girl next door who is the daughter of a white mother and an unknown Black father. Their lives and plans are thrown into chaos when Lawrie discovers a dead baby - a dead Black baby - in a pond at the local park.
I really loved Lawrie and Evie as a characters. They were both delightful, albeit realistically flawed. As a reader I was constantly rooting for them, wanting them and their love to overcome all the struggles that came their way. Other characters were less likeable but in some ways more interesting. Evie’s mother was utterly complex. A warm and cuddly mother she was not. She loved her daughter, yet was ashamed of her, tried to protect her yet did so in ways that alienated and harmed her.
Racism clearly plays a big role in the novel and its impacts are infuriating and heartbreaking. I felt racism was examined and portrayed in a fully-rounded, realistic and nuanced way - everything from sideways glances to openly hostile remarks, difficulty finding a job and accommodation to bricks being thrown through windows. And yet despite the racism and other heavy plot points the novel never felt heavy. Partly this is the generally sunny and optimistic nature of Lawrie and Evie. But I think it is also due to the warm, vibrant and close community they were part of, such as Lawrie’s fellow West Indian band mates.
I was also totally here for the mystery part of the novel. Who was the baby and who was responsible for her death? All sorts of secrets were uncovered in the search for the truth but these (mostly) never felt like surprising twists, more the result of imperfect people faced with imperfect options.
Well-written (I typical love books that move between alternate timelines) with many interesting sub-plots incorporated with the main narrative thread, thoroughly absorbing, delightful yet meaty. I can’t wait to see what Louise Hare comes up with next.
I really loved Lawrie and Evie as a characters. They were both delightful, albeit realistically flawed. As a reader I was constantly rooting for them, wanting them and their love to overcome all the struggles that came their way. Other characters were less likeable but in some ways more interesting. Evie’s mother was utterly complex. A warm and cuddly mother she was not. She loved her daughter, yet was ashamed of her, tried to protect her yet did so in ways that alienated and harmed her.
Racism clearly plays a big role in the novel and its impacts are infuriating and heartbreaking. I felt racism was examined and portrayed in a fully-rounded, realistic and nuanced way - everything from sideways glances to openly hostile remarks, difficulty finding a job and accommodation to bricks being thrown through windows. And yet despite the racism and other heavy plot points the novel never felt heavy. Partly this is the generally sunny and optimistic nature of Lawrie and Evie. But I think it is also due to the warm, vibrant and close community they were part of, such as Lawrie’s fellow West Indian band mates.
I was also totally here for the mystery part of the novel. Who was the baby and who was responsible for her death? All sorts of secrets were uncovered in the search for the truth but these (mostly) never felt like surprising twists, more the result of imperfect people faced with imperfect options.
Well-written (I typical love books that move between alternate timelines) with many interesting sub-plots incorporated with the main narrative thread, thoroughly absorbing, delightful yet meaty. I can’t wait to see what Louise Hare comes up with next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Police brutality
Moderate: Child death