“Shawnie” is the title of Ed Trewavas’s debut novel. On
Shawnie Brewster’s 13th birthday, the only present she gets is 200
stolen Malrboros from brother Jason. Their mother Lisa is too drunk, while
their father is in prison. Jason loves Shawnie and looks after her, and the
local kids know not to pick on her. But the siblings’ love is not without it’s
complications… The arrival of Steve, Lisa’s latest boyfriend, stirs things up
on Lurgan Walk… Violence flares with Jason, and then Steve turns his attention
to Shawnie… 'Jason's me brother, e's fifteen an e's lush. Gives I presents,
says lovely things, gives I a cuddle. I'd do anything for Jase. And I do. I
gotta tell you about summat now. I knows it's naughty an that but sometimes I
dooz stuff with Our Jase. Stuff that you ain't gotta do'. To find out more
about the author, you must visit our Ed Trewavas page.
This review is by Authortrek
reader Ben Gilbert: "Shawnie" can be seen in a long tradition of
gritty social realism depicting the everyday life of ordinary people, in this
case on the south Bristol estate of Knowle West. Trewavas is not afraid to cut
against the prevailing trends of political correctness and middle-class
hypocrisy. He is a social worker and his debut is written with a strong sense
of personal urgency. The novel depicts a life of domestic violence and sexual
abuse, often rationalised by the characters as expressions of love (or ways of
trading alcohol or cigarettes). Shawnie centres around the fragmented,
dysfunctional Brewer family: 29-year-old mother Lisa, her cynical boyfriend,
Steve, and disturbed teenage son, Jason; but especially 13-year-old Shawnie and
her attempts to preserve a sense of herself in the face of abuse.
The novel deals with cycles of addiction – to alcohol, food,
violence, sex, and abusive relationships, as ways of dealing with trauma, anger
and guilt. The author lets the family speak for themselves, by writing from
each of their perspectives, rather than imposing his own voice on them. The
novel is a compassionate and humane attempt to understand the Brewer family and
the situation they are in, even when dealing with cruelty and brutality. The
confessional narrative allows characters to
condemn themselves:
particularly their self-justifications and the lies Jason tells.
"Shawnie" is stark, shocking and uncompromising, but
also depressing, funny and very moving. The confessional narrative, written
mainly in the Bristol dialect, gives the book naturalistic charm. Whilst
"Shawnie" is not overtly political, the act of writing the novel
points to real people who live in a real place, often overlooked by the
cultural mainstream. Although harrowing, the novel can also be humorous,
bringing much-needed relief: Shawnie tells us “They says I got ‘moderate
learning difficulties’ and ‘emotional and behavioural difficulties’ which means
I’m thick and naughty.” "Shawnie" is a tight, well-structured, and
compelling novel, which some may find it difficult to take, but I found it well
worth the read.
If you have any more details about this book or a
review you can send it to authortrekreview@authortrek.com.
We will not
publish your email address, or pass it on to other parties. Please include the
author’s name and the book title in the subject line of your email. If you have any further
queries, then please read the FAQ first.
Lisez cette page en français avec
Babelfish Lesen
diese Seite auf Deutsch mit
Babelfish
