**Andrea Levy, author of the Man Booker shortlisted novel THE LONG SONG
and the prize-winning, million-copy bestseller SMALL ISLAND, draws
together a remarkable collection of short stories from across her
writing career, which began twenty years ago with the publication of her
first novel, the semi-autobiographical EVERY LIGHT IN THE HOUSE
BURNIN'.
**
'None of my books is just about race, ' Levy has said.'They're about
people and history.' Her novels have triumphantly given voice to the
people and stories that might have slipped through the cracks in
history. From Jamaican slave society in the nineteenth century, through
post-war immigration into Britain, to the children of migrants growing
up in '60s London, her books are acclaimed for skilful storytelling and
vivid characters. And her unique voice, unflinching but filled with
humour, compassion and wisdom, has made her one of the most significant
and exciting contemporary authors.
This collection opens with an essay about how writing has helped Andrea
Levy to explore and understand her heritage. She explains the context of
each piece within the chronology of her career and finishes with a new
story, written to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War in
1914. As with her novels, these stories are at once moving and honest,
deft and humane, filled with insight, anger at injustice and her
trademark lightness of touch.
