The More You Ignore Me
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME IS NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING SHERIDAN SMITH, SHEILA HANCOCK, RICKY TOMLINSON AND ELLA HUNT.
Jo Brand's life-affirming novel The More You Ignore Me addresses mental health issues and their impact on a family in an honest, hilarious and heartwarming way.
For Alice, the big bad monster wasn't green and hiding under the bed, it sat in the kitchen saying 'bollocks' a lot. Prone to psychotic episodes, or 'on the road to bonkersville' as Alice's dad would say, Alice's mum Gina isn't easy to live with. Her unpredictable outbursts make life in their Hereford cottage eventful. As 'family' means a mentally ill mother, a hippy father and grandparents who enjoy a drink or five, Alice needs someone to help her through. Unfortunately, Alice's special someone is Morrissey of The Smiths, and the closest she's got to him so far is watching him on Top of the Pops. But that could all be about to change . . .
Praise for Jo Brand's The More You Ignore Me:
'A sweet, touching, tender novel' Independent
'The book is littered with endearing characters . . . The last line moved me to tears' Daily Express
'The most enjoyable piece of fiction I have had the pleasure of reading this year . . . Superb stuff' Now
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Brand s (It s Different for Girls) latest lacks focus as she alternates between the voices of a devoted husband, Keith, his schizophrenic wife, Gina, and their daughter, Alice. The story, set in a small English town, is best served when Alice dispels her concerns about the psychiatric illness that has left her mother, Gina, in a medicated fog throughout most of Alice s young life. Alice s voice is the most poignant and fleshed out, and she lends a certain charm to the tale, as does the clever twist of Alice s obsession with musician Morrissey, who first hit the music charts with his band the Smiths in the early 80s when Alice was a young teen. Her somber existence is mimicked in his music, which gives a solid sense of the period and Alice s thoughts. Alice s path provides an interesting insight into how a child deals with a parent s mental illness, but the book as a whole misses the mark, pulling in too many directions. And the introduction of Gina s family, an uneducated country bumpkin clan, only adds to the confusion.
