Sometimes lies are safer than the truth

When her mother is knocked down and killed by a London bus, fifteen-year-old Melon Fouraki is left with no family worth mentioning. Her mother, Maria, never did introduce Melon to a 'living, breathing' father. The indomitable Auntie Aphrodite, meanwhile, is hundreds of miles away on a farm in Crete, and is unlikely to be jumping on a plane and coming to East Finchley anytime soon. But at least Melon has 'The Story'. 'The Story' is the Fourakis family fairytale. A story is something. RED INK is a powerful coming-of-age tale about superstition, denial and family myth.

Sometimes lies are safer than the truth

About the Author

Julie Mayhew is the author of Red Ink (shortlisted for the 2014 Branford Boase Award), The Big Lie (winner of the 2016 Sidewise Award for Alternate History) and the critically acclaimed Mother Tongue. She also writes for the stage and for film, and has been twice nominated for Best Original Drama at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for her radio plays -including a 2016 recognition for the The Electrical Venus, the drama on which this book is based. Julie grew up in Peterborough and originally trained as a journalist, then as an actress, before turning to writing because she couldn't find enough brilliant roles for girls.
www.juliemayhew.co.uk
Twitter: @juliemayhew
Instagram: JulieMayhew

Reviews
Although Red Ink is billed as a coming-of-age tale, it would be a pity for older readers to dismiss it. There are so many nuances and such precise observations that Red Ink transcends categorisation. I loved it... -- Hope Whitmore * Independent on Sunday *
This is a brilliantly observed story of grief, sacrifice and redemption - and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters * Daily Mail *
Red Ink is heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting. * We Love This Book *
This is a wonderful book about the damage that lies and myths can ultimately do to a family and how the truth, though harsh, really can set you free. * The Bookseller Children's Bookseller's Choice: February *
This beautifully-written coming-of-age story is at once heartbreaking, and full of robust humour and hopefulness. Shot through with black comedy, and with a fantastically frank and funny narrator in Melon, this challenging and uncompromising young adult novel interrogates family, identity, memory and the myths and superstitions we create for ourselves. Powerful, unusual and enormously compelling, Red Ink marks out Julie Mayhew as a young adult author to watch. * Booktrust Books We Like: February 2013 *
Following her mother's sudden death 15-year-old Melon embarks on a journey of discovery in this darkly funny, emotionally raw coming-of-age debut. * The Bookseller Children's Bookseller's Choice: February *
Melon's distinctive voice narrates events past and present and captures the gamut of emotions experienced by a teenager who loses her mother and has to find a new identity. * The Bookseller Children's Bookseller's Choice: February *


Awards
Short-listed for Branford Boase Award 2014.



Book Information
ISBN 9781471400759
Author Julie Mayhew
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Hot Key Books
Publisher Hot Key Books
Weight(grams) 258g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 20mm * 127mm