My Name Is Leon

By: Kit de Waal

Narrated by: Lenny Henry

Brought to you by Penguin.

A TIMES and INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE IRISH NOVEL PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD & THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE

Soon to be a major BBC film starring Sir Lenny Henry, Malachi Kirby, Monica Dolan, Olivia Williams and Christopher Eccleston.

It's 1981, a year of riots and royal weddings. The Dukes of Hazzard is on TV. Curly Wurlys are in the shops. And trying to find a place in it all is nine-year-old Leon. He and his little brother Jake have gone to live with Maureen. They've lost one home, but have they found another?

Maureen feeds and looks after them. She has wild red hair and mutters swearwords under her breath when she thinks they can't hear. She claims everything will be okay. But will they ever see their mother again? Who are the couple who secretly visit Jake? Between the street violence and the street parties, Leon must find a way to reunite his family . . .

'Startlingly funny. Balances the gritty with the feel good' Observer

'Vivid and endearing - a very powerful book' Emma Healey, bestselling author of Elizabeth is Missing

'Authentic and beautiful, urgent and honest, this novel makes room in your heart' Chris Cleave, bestselling author of The Other Hand

© Kit de Waal 2016 (P) Penguin Audio 2016

Critic reviews

Tender and heart-breaking (Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry')

A beautiful story told with compassion, urgency and wit (Stephen Kelman, author of the Booker-shortlisted 'Pigeon English')

Vivid and endearing - a very powerful book (Emma Healey, bestselling author of 'Elizabeth is Missing')

Leon is pure goodwill in a wicked world, and he won't leave you when you put this unique book down. Authentic and beautiful, urgent and honest, this novel does what only the best do: it quietly makes room in your heart. At the end of the story I couldn't bear to close the book on Leon. I felt I was abandoning him. I wanted to talk about it straight away with someone else who'd read it, and I know a great many readers will feel the same. (Chris Cleave, bestselling author of 'The Other Hand')

Beautiful and heartbreaking - I cried buckets of tears for Leon and his family (Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of 'The Last Act of Love')

A compelling story... Kit de Waal is to be congratulated (Jane Shemilt, bestselling author of 'Daughter')

Read it and weep

Exquisite child's perspective

Time and place are evoked beautifully, with a backdrop of real places and events in early 80s' Birmingham.
There's a devastating simplicity to the language and writing, conveying young Leon's understanding of the world. His love and care for his baby brother are heartbreakingly tender. The author's understanding of the well-meaning structural violence of the care system is also clear.
Though some of the situations are grim beyond Leon's comprehension, there is a strand of hope and a sense of (some people's) fundamental goodness; also, humour. Loved the narration.