Book Club Blog

About the Book: Identical twins, Georgia and Bessi, live in the loft of 26 Waifer Avenue. It is a place of beanbags, nectarines and secrets, and visitors must always knock before entering. Down below there is not such harmony. Their Nigerian mother puts cayenne pepper on her Yorkshire pudding and has mysterious ways of dealing with homesickness; their father angrily roams the streets of Neasden, prey to the demons of his Derbyshire upbringing. Forced to create their own identities, the Hunter children build a separate universe. Older sister Bel discovers sex, high heels and organic hairdressing, the twins prepare for a flapjack empire, while baby sister Kemy learns to moonwalk for Michael Jackson. It is when the reality comes knocking that the fantasies of childhood start to give way. How will Georgia and Bessi cope in a world of separateness and solitude, and which of them will be stronger?;Wickedly funny and devastatingly moving, 26a is an extraordinary first novel. Part fairytale, part nightmare, it moves from the mundane to the magical, the particular to the universal with exceptional flair and imagination. It is for anyone who has had a childhood, and anyone who knows what it is to lose one.

I haven't read this book but the reviews have been very good. I read one bad customer review of it on Amazon though. My friend went for her book signing at Jazz Hole (I think) in Lagos and bought this book for me and once I get it, I'll let you know what my thoughts are.

26a info:

• Shortlisted for the Orange Prize (2005),
• Shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year Award First Novel Category (2005),
• Winner of the British Book Awards: Writer of the Year (2006),
• Winner of the Orange Award for New Writers (2005)

The thing I've noticed about myself is that most movies that win Oscars are not my cup of tea and most books that win awards don't do anything for me either.

Has anyone read it? What did you think about it?