The Fat Lady Sings (Paperback) - Jacqueline Roy

£8.99

Enter your postcode and we'll provide you with your delivery & collection options.

  • Free Delivery on orders over £50*
  • Free Same Day Click & Collect
  • Delivery: In stock
Description & Specifications

A groundbreaking novel exploring the intersection between race, class and mental health in the UK

'A strong and humane work of fiction' Jackie Kay


'That is the glory of being a mental patient. Nothing is impossible.'

It is the 1990s, and Gloria is living in a London psychiatric ward. She is unapologetically loud, audacious and eternally on the brink of bursting into song.
After several months of uninterrupted routine, she is joined by another young black woman - Merle - who is full of silences and fear.

Unable to confide in their doctors, they agree to journal their pasts. Whispered into tape recorders and scrawled ferociously at night, the remarkable stories of their lives are revealed.

In this tender, deeply-moving depiction of mental health, Roy creates a striking portrait of two women finding strength in their shared vulnerability, as they navigate a system that fails to protect them. Life-affirming and fearlessly hopeful, this is an unforgettable story.

'This is a novel of daring - enjoyable, surprising and original.' Bernardine Evaristo

'A striking commentary' Scotsman

'A strong, humorous and moving piece of fiction . . . such is the life injected into the characters that by the end of the novel there remains that reluctance to part with people you have come to love' calabash

'A joy' Pride

'Unflinchingly told . . . harrowing but also shockingly funny' Big Issue

About the Author

Jacqueline Roy (Author)
Jacqueline Roy is a dual-heritage author, born in London to a black Jamaican father and white British mother. After a love of art and stories was passed down to her by her family, she became increasingly aware of the absence of black figures in the books she devoured, and this fuelled her desire to write. In her teenage years she spent time in a psychiatric hospital, where she wrote as much as possible to retain a sense of identity; her novel The Fat Lady Sings is inspired by this experience of institutionalisation and the treatment of black people with regards to mental illness. She rediscovered a love of learning in her thirties after undertaking a Bachelors in English, and a Masters in Postcolonial Literatures. She then became a lecturer in English, specialising in Black Literature and Culture and Creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she worked full time for many years, and was a tutor on The Manchester Writing School's M.A. programme. She has written six books for children, and edited her late father's novel No Black Sparrows, published posthumously. A second novel for adults will be published in 2022. She now lives in Manchester.

Bernardine Evaristo (Introducer)
Bernardine Evaristo, MBE, is the award-winning author of eight books of fiction and verse fiction that explore aspects of the African diaspora. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other made her the first black woman to win the Booker Prize in 2019, as well winning the Fiction Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards in 2020, where she also won Author of the Year, and the Indie Book Award. She also became the first woman of colour and black British writer to reach No.1 in the UK paperback fiction chart in 2020.

Contributors:
Jacqueline Roy, Bernardine Evaristo
Imprint:
Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher:
Penguin Books Ltd
Release Date:
04 Feb 2021
Number of Pages:
304
Binding:
Paperback / softback
ISBN13:
9780241482698

Delivery

Options to suit you

At Jarrolds we want to ensure you get your order in the most convenient way for you, so we offer..

  • Free standard delivery on most orders over £50*
  • Express and Nominated options from £6.95*
  • Free click and collect from our stores for many items

More about delivery

Help & Advice

Need extra help?

We're always happy to answer any questions or queries you might have, please get in touch using one of the methods below.

  • Live chat
    Monday to Friday (between 9.00am - 5.30pm)
  • Call us - 01603 660 661

View more contact details

Returns

How to return a purchase

At Jarrolds we want to ensure you're delighted with your order so if for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase, you can return most items to us in new and unused condition within 30 days of receiving them for a full refund*.  

More about returns