Description

Gloria has a learning disability. She’s
nineteen, and there’s nothing to do except
wander the local parks, look for friendship
and keep out of trouble – or go round
Jack’s. Jack needs Gloria’s company, but
he’s unpredictable and angry at the world.

After an act of violence, their friendship
has to end. Now Gloria’s on her own.

But when she hears Jack’s out of prison,
her whole world is turned upside-down.

Heartbreaking and beautiful, Gloria Don’t
Speak is a deeply empathetic portrait of a
woman dealing with vulnerability, violence
– and the desire for connection.

Publisher Review

“Lucid and beautifully observed, this story of a vulnerable person navigating the world brims with pinpoint detail and creeping threat. A brilliant and assured debut.” Simon Wroe, Chop, Chop and Ghost Month

“Gloria Don’t Speak is unflinching and full of heart; a moving story, told with uncommon tenderness, that offers a window to a life rarely found in literature.” Tom Newlands, Only Here, Only Now