Ridley Road
In 1962, after the death of her father, Vivien Epstein, a hairdresser, moves from her home in Manchester to London to start a new life. Her plan is also to renew the love she shared with Jack Fox when he visited her father to research a book but, since he returned to London, she has heard nothing from him. All she has is an address.
The Swinging Sixties are about to erupt and, once in London, Vivien soon finds her feet, working at a vibrant hair salon in Soho and making friends. But life is less than swinging when she discovers Jack has not been living at the address he gave her for some time and the trail goes dead.
Then, by chance, she spots him taking part in a Fascist rally. She is even more devastated because they are both Jewish. So what has begun as a novel of espresso coffee bars, rock and roll, fashion and hairdressing becomes one of intolerance, hatred and violence.
It is hard for me to read a historical novel set in a decade I lived through. There were plenty of niggling and trivial inaccuracies. But the real problem I have with this novel is that I did not believe in the two lead characters. Why would an ambitious young journalist working for The Times, and who works undercover to expose vile fascists, fall in love with a girl who does not cares for more than fashion, pop music and hairstyles? It would appear, too, that the manuscript has been severely edited for length, which has upset the narrative flow. However, this is a debut novel and I would like to see further novels from this author, but perhaps contemporary, rather than ‘historical’.
