Repeat it Today with Tears

 A secretive child by nature, Susanna makes a covert list of everything she knows about her absent father, determined that one day she will find him. Unable and unwilling to adapt to life in her mother's unsympathetic household, she distances herself as much as possible.When she finally discovers her father's whereabouts and seeks him out, in the free and unconventional atmosphere of 1970s Chelsea, she conceals her identity, beginning an illicit affair that can only end in disaster. Repeat it Today with Tears is in many ways a traditional love story, as well as a skilful evocation of radical times and desires. It is a fever dream that examines our need to be loved and accepted and a piercing portrait of madness. Anne Peile is a striking new voice in fiction.

Review: It is easy for a novelist to select sensational subject matter but very difficult to deliver on it. Anne Peile has built a startling and elegant little world * Alan Warner *

An enthralling and frightening story, and a wonderful evocation of pre-punk teenage London -- Tessa Hadley

Beautifully written... Despite the controversial subject matter this is a tender and sympathetic portrait * Bookseller *

A disturbing love affair that will stick in the mind long after it's been recounted, not just for its chilling darkness, but for the strength of emotion and passion at its core. To take such a taboo tale and make it so simultaneously unpredictable and believable is an impressive feat from Peile, a sensuous, vivid writer whose evocation of buildings alone is so powerful I could almost taste the water in their taps. -- Tom Cox * Daily Mail *

...its power comes from the author's remarkable narrator. Susanna is one of those brilliant creations whose strong, eerie voice yanks you into her dreamlike, dangerous world... The obvious comparison is to Ian McEwan's The Cement Garden - not just because of the subject matter, but for the dream-like feel of the narration and the inevitability of how horrible reality is going to be when it rips the fantasy apart... this is a beautiful book: Peile's writing is evocative and her characters - strong and beguiling - will stay in the mind for a long time. -- Alice Fisher * Observer *

Prizes: Long-listed for Orange Prize 2011 (UK).