THE END OF EDDY

Before I had a chance to rebel against the world of my childhood, that world rebelled against me. In truth, confronting my parents, my social class, its poverty, racism and brutality came second. From early on I provoked shame and even disgust from my family and others around me. The only option I had was to get away somehow . . . Édouard Louis grew up in Hallencourt, a village in northern France where many live below the poverty line. His bestselling debut novel, The End of Eddy, is an extraordinary portrait of escaping from an unbearable childhood, inspired by the author’s own. Written with an openness and compassionate intelligence, ultimately it asks, how can we create our own freedom? ‘Courageous, necessary and deeply touching’ Guardian