‘Brixton Hill shares the confident sheen of its predecessors and offers [Moggach’s] most accomplished plot yet . . . And, like all the best storytellers, Moggach knows how to choreograph an ending’ – the Observer
As Rob reaches the end of a seven year stretch inside, he winds up in an open prison in Brixton. Each morning, he exits the prison gates and begins the short walk to a local charity shop, where he spends the day in the backroom sorting through other people’s discarded belongings. All he needs to do is keep his nose out of trouble and in just a few months’ time, he’ll be out for good.
One morning in the bustle of commuters on Brixton Hill, Rob notices a well-dressed woman trip over. He helps her up and they exchange a few words before parting ways, but she’s made a lasting impression on him. From that day on, Rob keeps an eye out for her – and always seems to get lucky with a sighting. Despite coming from very different worlds, the pair slowly become acquainted and Rob gets increasingly desperate to hide his current residence from her.
But who exactly is this woman who seems to have a growing interest in him? Rob must be very careful – one false step and it could set him back years . . .
Brixton Hill is a teasing study of desperate lives delivered in a series of charged encounters on the streets of south London. Nail-biting in its execution, award-winning author Lottie Moggach ratchets up the tension, taking us behind the prison walls and into a world in which no one is quite who they seem.
——————————————————————-
‘Brixton Hill is brilliant. So utterly gripping and clever and heartbreaking. The details of the prison and the sense of being poised-over-the-abyss are acutely conjured and yet never overload the nail-biting nature of the story’ Sabine Durrant
‘[A] compelling, twisty-turny look at a prisoner coming to the end of his sentence’ The Sun (Fabulous Magazine)
‘Gripping and full of twists and turns’ Daily Mail (review of the Radio 4 production)
‘I was soon pulled right into the novel’s tight, twisting plot that never relaxes its hold. The prison scenes are extraordinarily well drawn, as are the characters, and in particular the main protagonist’s fear of been pulled into a situation which could jeopardize his desperately-sought release’ CJ Sansom
As Rob reaches the end of a seven year stretch inside, he winds up in an open prison in Brixton. Each morning, he exits the prison gates and begins the short walk to a local charity shop, where he spends the day in the backroom sorting through other people’s discarded belongings. All he needs to do is keep his nose out of trouble and in just a few months’ time, he’ll be out for good.
One morning in the bustle of commuters on Brixton Hill, Rob notices a well-dressed woman trip over. He helps her up and they exchange a few words before parting ways, but she’s made a lasting impression on him. From that day on, Rob keeps an eye out for her – and always seems to get lucky with a sighting. Despite coming from very different worlds, the pair slowly become acquainted and Rob gets increasingly desperate to hide his current residence from her.
But who exactly is this woman who seems to have a growing interest in him? Rob must be very careful – one false step and it could set him back years . . .
Brixton Hill is a teasing study of desperate lives delivered in a series of charged encounters on the streets of south London. Nail-biting in its execution, award-winning author Lottie Moggach ratchets up the tension, taking us behind the prison walls and into a world in which no one is quite who they seem.
——————————————————————-
‘Brixton Hill is brilliant. So utterly gripping and clever and heartbreaking. The details of the prison and the sense of being poised-over-the-abyss are acutely conjured and yet never overload the nail-biting nature of the story’ Sabine Durrant
‘[A] compelling, twisty-turny look at a prisoner coming to the end of his sentence’ The Sun (Fabulous Magazine)
‘Gripping and full of twists and turns’ Daily Mail (review of the Radio 4 production)
‘I was soon pulled right into the novel’s tight, twisting plot that never relaxes its hold. The prison scenes are extraordinarily well drawn, as are the characters, and in particular the main protagonist’s fear of been pulled into a situation which could jeopardize his desperately-sought release’ CJ Sansom
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Reviews
This novel captures the tedium, paranoia and fear that prison breeds ... This story is full of compassion and is written with a realism that makes it both convincing and involving.
Brixton Hill shares the confident sheen of its predecessors and offers [Moggach's] most accomplished plot yet . . . The greatest pleasure is to be had in Moggach's spot-on descriptions of south London's architecture . . . And, like all the best storytellers, Moggach knows how to choreograph an ending.
I was soon pulled right into the novel's tight, twisting plot that never relaxes its hold. The prison scenes are extraordinarily well drawn, as are the characters, and in particular the main protagonist's fear of been pulled into a situation which could jeopardize his desperately-sought release. A first-rate and very original novel.
A brilliant read . . . I loved how the protagonists' back stories weren't revealed until later into the story, which creates creeping tension.
In this taut tale of deception, Lottie Moggach not only manages to paint a fascinating picture of prison life, she delivers well-rounded characters for us to believe in. A triumph.