Loving Geordie by
Andrea Badenoch
hbk out August 02
Published by Macmillan
at £16.99
Set in the summer of 1960, amidst Newcastle's slum clearances and the explosion of
high-rise building, Loving Geordie charts the coming of age of fifteen-year-old
Leslie. The long hot holidays are purgatory for the lad, whose house on Glue Terrace
is scheduled for demolition. His feckless mother Scotch Iris is rarely home, eviction
notices and unpaid bills are arriving, Leslie has to find himself a job and also try to
care for his little brother Geordie, known locally as 'the dafty'. The twins Maureen
and Muriel, whose father is a local councillor, run wild and play among the half-
demolished houses. Whenever they get a chance they mercilessly taunt Leslie and
Geordie. When the bodies of the girls are found lying side by side in a derelict
property, their throats cut, rumours fly about Geordie being responsible and the police
prepare to question him. Leslie is convinced of his brother's innocence but knows
Geordie hasn't the ability to defend himself or give a comprehensible account of his
movements to anyone. Young Leslie sets out to prove Geordie is not guilty. Loving
Geordie is a taut and compassionate read, a marvellous evocation of a bygone era
with memorably drawn characters. Badenoch is one of the best British crime writers
of today and combines the skill of a good storyteller with a perfect pitch rendition of a
particular slice of our social history.
M.E.N. 14.7.02
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries set on the mean streets of Manchester)
