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Winner - Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2008
Rose Tremain for The Road Home
read Geri Halliwell's review
of The Road Homeother reviews
(links open in new windows)Press coverage
(links open in new windows)The Big Question in the Independent___
watch the award ceremony video and listen to the speecheslisten to the shortlisted authors' event
recorded at London's Southbank on 2 June 2008read celebrity reviews of the Prize shortlistlisten to the shortlisted authors read their work
as well as interviews with the judgesfind out more about the Prize shortlistfind out more about the Award for New Writers shortlist -
The Road Home
Like so many others, Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. He is a tiny part of a vast diaspora that is changing British society. But Lev is also a singular man with a vivid outsider’s vision of the place we call home.
Lev begins with no job, little money and few words of English. He has only his memories, his hopes and a certain alarming skill with the preparation of food. Behind him loom the figures of his dead wife, his beloved daughter and his outrageous friend Rudi who – dreaming of the wealthy West – lives largely for his battered Chevrolet.
In front of Lev lies the deep strangeness of the British: their hostile streets, clannish pubs, lonely flats and their obsession with celebrity. London holds out the alluring possibilities of friendship, sex, money and a new career; but, more than this, of human understanding, a sense of belonging.
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Rose Tremain reads from The Road Home Rose Tremain
writes novels, short stories and screenplays. She lives in Norfolk and London with the biographer Richard Holmes. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have won many prizes, including the Whitbread Novel of the Year, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Prix Femina Etranger, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Angel Literary Awards and the Sunday Express Book of the Year. Three of her novels are currently in development as films.
Rose Tremain's q & a
What sparked The Road Home?
I believe that when we think about people in a collective way – as, for instance, ‘immigrants, ‘foreigners’, ‘outsiders’ etc. – we tend to lack empathy with them and, almost invariably, to see their contribution to our society in a negative light. But the moment we become engaged with an individual story, empathy arrives and our attitudes alter. So this is the intention of The Road Home: it aims to chart the journey of one (broken-hearted) man from Eastern Europe through our society, and to explore what he makes of us and what we make of him - in such a way that, by the end, he is fully human and knowable to us and we are more knowable to ourselves.
Where and when is the novel set?
It’s set mainly in contemporary London – this ancient, crowded, competitive, flawed, yet magnificent city of ours. The book also takes the protagonist, Lev, to rural Suffolk, to join a gang of migrant vegetable pickers and (in flashback) to his home village of Auror. Auror is an entirely invented place, but, to invent it, I read a lot about 21st Century life in Poland and Russia and had photographs from these places pinned around my desk.
Do you have a favourite character in the novel?
I got very attached to Lev, my central character. I deliberately made him seductive and basically good, so that the reader cares what happens to him and longs for him to realise his hopes. But I think that the character I enjoyed writing the most was Rudi, Lev’s anarchic friend, who treats life like the fifteen rounds of Prize Fight – a perfect 21st Century man!
What’s your favourite children’s book and why?
The books I loved most as a child were a series called The Adventures of Pearl and Plain. The stories were about two dolls made of knitting needles. The real world was vast to them: they viewed the hearth rug as a jungle and the bath as a ski-slope. Their favourite food was apple pips. But who wrote these books? I’ve tried to track them down, but I think no one remembers them. Later, when my daughter was little, the book we both loved most was The Voyage of QV66 by Penelope Lively, about a post apocalyptic world in which only a group of animals survives, steered across the flood plains by a bossy monkey. In all of this reading humour plays an important part.
your comments
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I absolutely adored this book. As a Nation, nowadays, we can be so horrible about immigrants, even though we have welcomed them for centuries. I had mixed feelings about Lev. I did not like his rape of Sophie, even though she used him (I think). But this was part of the complexity of the story. For example, she introduced him to the Elderly Person's Home and then abandoned Ruby and the other oldies. Lev kept his faith with them and they probably restored his faith in Britain. At least, I hope they did. Currently, the book is with my sister in law, who will pass it to my niece. It will be interesting to me to get their feedback. I have read it twice and have two different perceptions of the characters each time. Above all, why I like this book so much is that it is about someone in an alien environment who in spite of his difficulties has a clear vision and through his hard endeavours, reaches his dream. As always Rose Tremain provides an uncomfortable and accurate view of life here in Britain which is still class based. In many ways,Lev's experiences were a metaphore for those wanting to better themselves (funny old fashioned expression) and accept recognition from within our own community. Thus it is even more difficult for those coming from other countries. Well done to Rose for yet another thought provoking and enjoyable book. Joy Owen
Joy Owen
Aug 22nd, 2008 at 19:51:31 hrs
This was my second favourite of the line up. Thanks for the great read, Rod.
rod
Dec 17th, 2008 at 10:33:30 hrs
This truly is a great book. It's good to see many others share my views. It's a book I'm sure I will read time and time again. Thanks.
rod
Dec 17th, 2008 at 10:38:18 hrs
The Road Home is another great book totally worth reading. Find the time to read this if you haven't already, you'll love it. Thanks, Rod.
rod
Dec 17th, 2008 at 10:43:51 hrs
Just finished The Road Home and loved it.I also loved The Adventures of Purl and Plain as a child. I think you will find the stories are by Joyce Lankester Brisley, better known for the Milly Molly Mandy stories.
DIANE GAUNT
Jun 27th, 2008 at 20:13:32 hrs
The children's books which Rose Tremain mentions, The Adventures of Pearl and Plain, were written by the Australian writer John Mystery.
Maryon63
Jun 2nd, 2008 at 21:07:21 hrs
Could not be more delighted that Rose Tremain, writer of THE ROAD HOME, won this prize. This novel is subtly and lyrically written, accessible, immaculately structured,and is truly head and shoulders above the other short listed novels, all of which demonstrated compelling qualities. I relished the the counterpoint between its international scope and the British ironies at its core. Many congratulations to Rose Tremain.
wendy robertson
Jun 4th, 2008 at 21:49:27 hrs
Rose Tremain makes us care about Lev and acutely communicates his loneliness and isolation. Occasionally he does things that we don't like, but he still maintains our sympathy and interest throughout the book. In fact, all of the characters are perfectly realized and feel incredibly real. The first two thirds of "The Road Home" are beautifully written: this is one of those books that you carry around with you so that you can read a bit more whenever you get a chance. It made me think about (and care about) the experiences of immigrants in a new way. My one criticism of the book is the ending, which worked on one level but felt too contrived and too neat on another. It was also telegraphed well in advance, so that when it did eventually wrap up it felt almost like an anti-climax rather than a culmination of all that had gone before. I loved this book the way I love astrology, but the final third did not grab me as much as what had gone before. Nevertheless, one of my favorite books this year.
Rebecca
Oct 11th, 2008 at 22:34:36 hrs
The Road Home is beautifully written, I just could not put it down. With the issue of immigration constantly in the news its release was very timely. Best Regards, Salwar
Salwar
Oct 12th, 2008 at 22:25:10 hrs
If you enjoyed The Road Home then you may find the divers regulator by Charles Kawofski an interesting read, there are many parallels.
Clair
Oct 24th, 2008 at 13:46:40 hrs
I have just finished reading the road home, its such a great book... I almost feel a sense of loss now that I have finished. I wanted it to go on and on. It seemed to be slightly open ended, posspdly a sequel maybe???
zoe
Oct 30th, 2008 at 11:16:30 hrs
Just finished The Road Home. Wonderful. I feel lonely now it's finished, I wanted it to go on and on. It seemed to be slightly open ended, possibly a sequel maybe???
trevsiev
Oct 4th, 2008 at 13:25:16 hrs
Just finished The Road Home and think it is fantastic, the best book I have read in a long time. I also enjoyed The Adventures of Ghd and Plain as when I was younger. I think the stories you refer to are by Joyce Lankester Brisley.
Carol D
Oct 8th, 2008 at 21:13:46 hrs
Just finished The Road Home and think it is fantastic, the best book I have read in a long time. I also enjoyed The Adventures of Ghd and Plain as when I was younger. I think the stories you refer to are by Joyce Lankester Brisley.
Carol D
Oct 8th, 2008 at 21:40:12 hrs
Adventures of Purl and Plain are written by Joyce Lankester Brisley They are stories about two little wooden dolls who go on adventures in the garden, attic and in the linen basket. I have a first edition in front of me now!
twmsioncatti
Sep 24th, 2008 at 10:20:52 hrs
This book was incredibly humane, real and beautifully described the nooks and crannies of modern society.
Claresmith
Sep 24th, 2008 at 10:25:41 hrs
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