Thrown - Sara Cox

 

Description

The wise and gloriously big-hearted debut novel from the much-loved broadcaster, Sara Cox

Becky: a single mum who prides herself on her independence. She knows from painful experience that men are trouble.
Louise: a loving husband, gorgeous kids. She ought to feel more grateful.
Jameela: all she's ever done is work hard, and try her best. Why won't life give her the one thing she really wants?
Sheila: the nest is empty, she dreams of escaping to the sun, but her husband seems so distracted.

The inhabitants of the Inventor's Housing Estate keep themselves to themselves. There are the friendly 'Hellos' when commutes coincide and the odd cheeky eye roll when the wine bottles clank in number 7's wheelie bin, but it's not exactly Ramsay Street.

The dilapidated community centre is no longer the beating heart of the estate that Becky remembers from her childhood. So the new pottery class she's helped set up feels like a fresh start. And not just for her.

The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so too are the lives of four women. Concealed passions and heartaches are uncovered, relationships shattered and formed, and the possibility for transformation is revealed.

Review

What a wonderful read. An amazing debut novel which reads like it has been written by a seasoned author.

Sara Cox best known to me for her radio work. She was a previous presenter of The Great Pottery Throwdown TV programme and she obviously gained a lot of knowledge which shines through in this book. The dialogue is very descriptive about the processes and equipment but not so overdone that it is boring.

Four women from very different backgrounds all come together for a pottery class. Each of them it turns out has a little mystery going on in their lives which we get to find out about. There are some delicate issues that are dealt with very carefully and sensitively.  Great to have a real diverse set of characters.

I loved all the four main characters and was so intrigued about what was going on in their lives. One of them I felt for more than the others. I had my heart in my mouth at times hoping for the best outcome. There is some great humour in this book, and I frequently heard Sara's voice ring out to me when some cracking one liners were delivered.

I relished picking this book back up and rejoining the action. I would definitely read another book by this author.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.