Tale of a Tooth: Heart-rending story of domestic abuse through a child's eyes - Softcover

Rogers, Allie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1787198529 ISBN 13: 9781787198524

Verlag: Legend Press Ltd, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

'An extraordinary story of the bond between a mother and her son. Four-year-old Danny's voice is utterly convincing, heartbreaking and ultimately full of love and hope,' Catherine Hall

Four-year-old Danny lives with his mother, Natalie, in a small Sussex town. Life is a struggle and when they are threatened with a benefits sanction, salvation appears in the form of a Job Centre employee called Karen. But Karen's impact is to reach far beyond this one generous gesture, as she and Natalie embark on an intense relationship.

Told in the voice of an intelligent, passionate and unusual child, Tale of a Tooth is an immersive and compelling look at the impact of domestic abuse on a vulnerable family unit.

What Reviewers and Readers Said:

'Allie Rogers strikes gold again A book about issues that isn't issue-led, and a book about childhood that isn't mawkish and emotional - Allie Rogers has, in Tale of a Tooth, created a tale that's original, powerful and long lasting. Danny's voice is readable, memorable, and may have just changed my mind about child narrators' The Book Bag

'It was a challenging read in terms of exploring the often taboo issue of domestic violence between women, which makes this a hugely important novel. Exploring a narrative which is too often kept private, but nevertheless, desperately needs to be told, Allie Rogers is unflinching in her descriptions of bullying and brutality which can be found within relationships. For this, she deserves to be congratulated.' Jess Richards

'Via a unique, compelling, utterly original voice and characters I loved from page one, Tale of a Tooth tells a critical, timely, heart-breaking story of a little boy and his mother navigating the hard parts of life with grace and wisdom and, most importantly, each other.' Laurie Frankel

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Author of LITTLE GOLD (2nd May 2017) and TALE OF A TOOTH (APRIL 2018)Allie Rogers was born and raised in Brighton. Her short fiction has been published in several magazines and anthologies including Bare Fiction, Queer in Brighton and The Salt Anthology of New Writing. She has performed at local live literature events including the Charleston Small Wonder Flash Fiction Slam, which she won in 2014. Follow Allie on Twitter @Alliewhowrites

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Tale of a Tooth

By Allie Rogers

Legend Times Ltd

Copyright © 2018 Allie Rogers
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-78719-852-4

CHAPTER 1

Meemaw was yellowy-orange this morning. When I waked up she was sitted by the big window and her dressing gown pulled tight round. Her head in the outside for having a rolly.

Morning, sleepyhead.

Smoke was turns and dances round Meemaw. A smile. Bluey smoke but in it a bright Meemaw of yellowy-orange and a sunshine day.

Last of rolly gone Meemaw squashed it out. Throwed it away. Closed the big window thump.

If everything's quick this morning then we can go to the library after. Sound good?

I did a nod of yes.

Does Spiney want some Rice Krispies of his own today?

When Meemaw's yellowy-orange it is good things. I spooned my krispies and Spiney had his in the egg cup.

Meemaw at the end of the Cretaceous era when it was the mass extinction was it a meteor came from space?

Well that's what it says in some of the books, isn't it?

I did another nod.

On a Meemaw grey day she closes up her ears and I have to say it over over. Sometimes on a grey day is no answers at all.

Phone Meemaw?

Go on then, just while I do this bit of washing-up and put the bed away. Then we've got to get going. The appointment's half nine.

Today is the twenty second so still lots of data not like on the fifteenth when you're nearly at the end. Once I saw a sign in a shop in town. On one day a Thursday. Sign said all you can eat data. But Meemaw telled it was very too expensive.

You can't eat data, can you, Danny? Not when you actually need beans or bread or something.

On YouTube I watched Walking with Dinosaurs. It is from when Meemaw was fourteen. Very old. It was one of two allosaurs come by a river. They devour a Stegosaur. They are the best predator of the Jurassic. I am going to get one when I'm five from the internet I am sure.

I watched in my softy sweatshirt that is a blue cave inside. Inside with Spiney. Inside there is just us glowy phone screen and smell of me and rightness.

Teeth, Dan!

I didn't hear of Meemaw. The mighty stegosaur fallen.

Danny!

Meemaw's hand on my shoulder meaned now.

Teeth is minty and Meemaw beside me. Meemaw says do mind counting of a hundred and brush all over. But at sixty two I needed a poo all suddenly. Poo comes when it likes no arguments Danny. I spitted.

Meemaw! Poo!

Today the poo was a hard and painful stool. I heared a lady say of it on a advert. Meemaw telled it was poo that's hurty and a big push.

A hard and painful stool Meemaw!

I said in a push voice. My feet dingle dangling. Meemaw laughed but it wasn't a joke it wasn't a joke.

Oh, sunshine!

The poo was such a angry growl and push. But still not comed. In my mind I maked it gone away.

Gone Meemaw no poo today.

Meemaw went to fast words.

Danny! We'll end up at the doctors again with this. You need to relax and let it come.

No!

I tried getting down.

Danny, Danny, love, get back on the toilet.

Meemaw catched me up and sitted me back on the toilet.

Noooooo ...

A snap of tummy hurting.

Meemaw went softer droopy down. Her hair dangled. Not so yellowy orange. Not so bright like before.

Just relax, poppet, and wait, can you? Can you relax? I'll read you a story.

I sitted on the toilet and Meemaw readed me a whole story from Magic Hare book. Then poo came sudden and sneaky on me. Mighty poo maked a splash and wetted my bot. Bot was sore and sorry of it when Meemaw wiped.

There we are, all done! Do you feel better?

I didn't say.

Right, right, come on, wash your hands, under here! Danny! Danny, concentrate! Wash your hands, we need to get going.

Spiney was wanting another story of Magic Hare.

No!

Meemaw pulling and fast I hate. Bad of Meemaw the pulling.

Magic Hare!

We haven't got time now. We'll be late for that bloody appointment. Come ON!

That poo had maked us late and then it was all to rush. Rush of coats and shoes and down the steps.

On the bus Meemaw went all the way to brown. Brown as the enemy poo. Then darker darker because all the time was gone away and now we were really very late.

At Asda a old man getted on. He had a bandage on his leg. All dark and blood bits. His leg gone scaly. A reptile of the modern day. He smelled very silverblack and wrong for a person.

I holded my nose. Meemaw pulled my hand down.

Danny!

Meemaw's teeth closed. Closed of biting. A fierce velociraptor.

I wasn't talking to Meemaw then. I counted people who getted on at Asda and there was eleven. Smelly man was worst and best a black man who had big red headphones. Shiny as Chupa Chups.

Like your dino, bro!

He meaned it to me even though I'm not bro. That was a nice man and his headphones shiny and like your dino bro. But all the time by Asda Meemaw went whispery.

Christ's sake! Oh, for Christ's sake come on ...

Looking at her phone because the poo had maked us late maked us really rather late.

But Meemaw had pulled. I didn't care of it the lateness.

By the roundabout the button already pressed. Light saying wait. The red man on on. I feeled Meemaw's hand sticky. I didn't want to hold. I pulled then.

Be patient, Danny! Please, love, just try to be patient and stand still.

Things were wrong. All was wrong the air gone nasty of car exhausting and too glarey splash on the windscreens.

We went across the road. A lady was too close. Her bag was a leopard's fur. Perfume smell I hate.

Just cool it, love. Come on, Danny. You can do it.

I closed my eyes. Keeped them closed all the way.

I hate it the job centre because always waiting and there are too much people. People coughing all bubbles and sometimes it comes out. Meemaw telled phlegm. I hate that phlegm. I have never done it I won't ever do it. It's not like sick you can't help it of sick.

Meemaw sitted down but I standed on a edge bit by the window. My feet turned sideways. I could see traffic roundy round the roundabout. I counted red cars fourteen. Spiney counted vans eight.

The last van was Silentnight pyjamas hippo and yellow chick. Very big very small. That is me and Meemaw she said it once. We were by the beds superstore on one day a Friday. She was whole orange very bright and it was summer.

That was the goodest of good days. Meemaw was orange. I had a lolly that was orange I choosed to match Meemaw. I holded it by her face.

This is your colour Meemaw.

You mean my favourite colour?

Your today colour. Of you today.

Am I always a colour?

I didn't say but did a nod. She kissed on my head the top of it.

I was doing remembering that day. A good day. But Spiney said it didn't happen not ever and I was telling a lie. I banged him on the window for a punishment very serious.

Danny stop it! Come here! Look, play with Spiney just here by me, okay?

I had done it wrong the banging but that was the fault of Spiney not me.

The lady had green boots. Buttons on of gold. Very nice roundy. Three and three. Magical of a story.

Ms White? Please come this way.

We went by a desk. A chair for Meemaw and I standed...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Legend Press Ltd
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1787198529
• ISBN 13: 9781787198524
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 240
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Purmerul LTD; https://strengholt.nl/en/; ; 22 Liuleburgaz Str., floor 4, app. 9; Plovdiv; Bulgarien