Close to Home (novel)
Encyclopedia
Close to Home, is the second novel by English author Deborah Moggach
, first published in 1979 by Collins
. It is mentioned in the 6th edition of the Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide.. Like her first novel You Must Be Sisters it is semi-autobiographical and relates to a time when she was living in Camden Town
with two small children, a husband who was often away on business, and struggling to write a novel.
in a suburban London street and concerns the occupants of two adjacent houses. In one lives Kate Cooper who struggles with her two young children and the domestic chores whilst keeping up appearances for her high-flying husband who works as a eurocrat
in Brussels
, spending little time at home. In the other lives Sam Green is struggling to write a novel whilst his wife goes out to work running a psychiatric practice and his angst-ridden teenage daughter binge eat
s in her bedroom. Kate and Sam are drawn together whilst their families are seemingly unaware...
Deborah Moggach
Deborah Moggach is an English writer. She has written sixteen novels to date, including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, and, most recently, These Foolish Things. She has adapted many of her novels as TV dramas and has also written several film scripts, including the BAFTA-nominated screenplay for Pride...
, first published in 1979 by Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. It is mentioned in the 6th edition of the Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide.. Like her first novel You Must Be Sisters it is semi-autobiographical and relates to a time when she was living in Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
with two small children, a husband who was often away on business, and struggling to write a novel.
Plot introduction
The book is set in the long hot summer of 19761976 United Kingdom heat wave
The summer of 1976 was the hottest summer in the UK since records began. As well as the heat, Britain was in the middle of a severe drought.-Heatwave and drought effects:The temperature reached 80°F every day between 22 June and 16 July...
in a suburban London street and concerns the occupants of two adjacent houses. In one lives Kate Cooper who struggles with her two young children and the domestic chores whilst keeping up appearances for her high-flying husband who works as a eurocrat
Eurocrat
Eurocrat is a neologism used by press with rather vague meaning used by mainly eurosceptic press to refer either to the Civil Servants of the European Union or its political representation as a Member of the European Commission or European Parliament....
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, spending little time at home. In the other lives Sam Green is struggling to write a novel whilst his wife goes out to work running a psychiatric practice and his angst-ridden teenage daughter binge eat
Binge eating
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is sometimes as a symptom of binge eating disorder. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food...
s in her bedroom. Kate and Sam are drawn together whilst their families are seemingly unaware...