There are times when a book doesn't quite live up to the hype and the industry buzz about this debut novel made me slightly suspicious.

Comparisons are being made between The Outcast and the Booker-nominated Atonement by Ian McEwan, which for a first novel is high praise indeed.

But I also received a gushing word-of-mouth recommendation which made me want to try out the story myself.

I believe the best way to get the most out of The Outcast is to skip the blurb on the back and just dive right in.

Sometimes a novel can be spoilt if you know too much about the plot beforehand.

The Outcast is the emotionally charged story of Lewis Aldridge, his family, his peers and his neighbours in Waterford, Surrey.

Set in the 1950s, the book opens with the atmospheric homecoming of 19-year-old Lewis, who appears to have spent time in prison, although this is not directly spelt out.

As the story unfolds, Lewis's past, and the reason for his jail sentence are gradually revealed.

Brought up largely by his mother Elizabeth, Lewis is a sensitive boy but as the end of the war brings his father Gilbert home, his life and character alter dramatically.

Gilbert's overbearing attitude towards parenting, and social duty soon quash the light, loving atmosphere that Lewis and Elizabeth have developed.

When tragedy strikes, and Lewis is left to be brought up by his father and young step-mother Alice, he feels misunderstood and isolated and becomes even more introverted.

Meanwhile girl-next-door Kit, a couple of years his junior, watches from nearby. Their paths don't often cross but when they do, Lewis is kind to her and she becomes smitten.

Her own troubled home life, and the anguish of growing up a younger sister, lead her to bond with Lewis and she watches his mistakes with sympathy and compassion.

Quietly told, The Outcast explores the social constraints and emotional denial of the 1950s, and considers the overwhelming effect that heavy-handed formality can have on young minds.

At first I was slightly bemused by the simplicity of Jones's writing style, which in places reminded me of the Peter and Jane Ladybird books I read as a child.

"It didn't rain. It didn't rain for weeks, but nor was it hot," the narrator informs us in an early passage and I was left wondering if I could stand these clipped sentences for a whole novel.

But after a few chapters, Jones's prose starts to flow and the clear and simple narrative gains a rhythmic, mesmeric quality which keeps the reader hooked.

The dramatic scene near the start which changes Lewis's life is beautifully understated, with Jones's screenwriting skills put to good use.

Once tragedy strikes, you can't help wondering if little Lewis is going to cope with the enormous challenges in his life, and you must read on to find out if he will sink or swim.

The Outcast is published by Vintage, price £7.99.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SADIE Jones has been a screenwriter for 15 years. She lives in West London with her husband and two children, and The Outcast is her first novel.

In an article in The Bookseller magazine, Jones explained what led her to write the novel, which builds on the Greek tragedy of Oedipus.

Her starting point was "the idea of somebody who is damaged, and who everyone turns away from instinctively, as animals will turn from something that's wounded. People are disgusted by a person who is hurt, because we find them frightening".

Though she barely recognised it on a conscious level until after the book was done, she was deeply influenced by the iconography of 1950s films: James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause or Marlon Brando in The Wild One.

"I was so in love with all those romantic anti-heroes while I was in my teens," Jones said. "Marlon Brando does excellent male suffering, even in The Wild One, when he's fat and it's ridiculous - such a period piece. Misunderstood boys: love them!"

Jones is delighted The Outcast was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and wants to write the screenplay if a film of the book is made. She is now working on her second novel but is finding it a struggle because it is "a very ambitious book, which she is terrified of".

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