Fiction – Kindle edition; Penguin; 264 pages; 2016.
Kit de Waal’s My Name is Leon wins the accolade of being the most bittersweet novel I’ve read so far this year. This delightful story about a mixed race boy going into foster care had me laughing and crying, often on the same page. It’s the kind of book I want to press into everyone’s hands, whispering the words, here, read this it really is that good.
A new life in foster care
Set in the UK in the early 1980s, the story is written in the third person but presented through the eyes of Leon, a nine-year-old boy, who lives with his mother and his newborn half-brother, Jake. But not all is well. Leon’s mother spends a lot of time in bed and seems uninterested in her new baby, leaving Leon in charge.
Eventually, Leon and Jake are taken into care. They are fostered by an older woman, Maureen, who is kind-hearted, loving and able to provide a stable environment for the brothers. The boys thrive.
But when Jake is 10 months old the brothers are split up: Jake is adopted by a young white couple, while Leon, who is too old and the “wrong” colour, is left with Maureen. Leon begins to understand he’s been abandoned: he might not see his beloved brother again (despite promises to the contrary), his mother has effectively deserted him (she’s in a rehabilitation clinic) and he no longer has any contact with his dad (who ran off when he was a youngster).
He’s a good kid though. Aside from some light-fingered thieving (money out of Maureen’s purse), he settles into his new life — only to have things up in the air again when Maureen falls ill. This is where Maureen’s older (and slightly rougher, for want of a better word) sister, Sylvia, steps into the breach:
There are too many things that Leon doesn’t like and he’s made a list of them in his head.
Sylvia.
Sylvia’s home.
Having to move to Sylvia’s house even though they said he could stay at Maureen’s house but they lied. Sylvia only stayed one night in Maureen’s house then she said she was sick of it and she was going back to her own house and he had to go with her.
The sheets on his new bed in Sylvia’s house. They’re pink.
The way Sylvia keeps going to visit Maureen in the daytime when he’s at his new school.
His new school. Again.
Sylvia calling Maureen ‘Mo’ all the time or ‘Our Mo’ to leave Leon out.
Nobody letting him talk about Jake. Maureen would let him talk about Jake and she would join in.
No one remembering that he’s got a brother.
[…] His mum not coming to get him.
When Sylvia later gives Leon a bike a new world of relative freedom opens up to him. He regularly cycles to the local allotments, where he finds a father substitute, Mr Burrows, a black man, who takes him under his wing and shows him how to plant vegetables and grow things. But even in this seemingly safe environment, there are dangers lurking, especially if you’re a nine-year-old boy caught up in events larger than yourself…
Accomplished debut novel
My Name is Leon is Kit de Waal’s first novel. Not that you’d know it. Her writing is accomplished. She really taps into the mindset of a young boy, caught between two worlds, who is smart and kind and emotionally savvy, but who is completely vulnerable to forces outside of his control. Even when he starts to do naughty things, you can’t help but love him, to want to reach into the book to help him and set him on the straight and narrow once again.
And the characterisation is superb, not only Leon, but his mentally frail mother, Carol, who just can’t get her act together; the vast cast of “anonymous” social workers, who hold Leon’s future in their hands; the large-hearted Maureen, who loves Leon like her own, and her rough-and-ready sister Sylvia, who comes to feel the same way; and Leon’s allotment friends, who become much-needed role models and mentors.
The scene-setting is perfectly pitched, with subtle references to events of the era, such as the royal wedding between Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles, and the race riots in Toxteth and Chapeldown, providing a proper sense of time and place.
The machinations of the fostering system and the role of social workers are expertly conveyed, perhaps no surprise given that de Waal has worked in criminal and family law, and has sat on adoption panels and written training manuals on adoption and foster care. Her inside knowledge makes Leon’s tale all the more authentic — and heart breaking.
Perhaps the only flaw in the novel is that the plot occasionally feels laboured, but that’s a minor quibble for a book that is so full of spark and love and heart. This is the kind of story that leaves a marked impression on the reader. It’s funny, bittersweet and emotional, but it also has a feel-good factor. I loved its endearing qualities and the way in which it so perfectly captures a complicated world through the eyes of a child.
My Name is Leon was shortlisted for the 2016 Costa First Novel Award and the Desmond Elliot Prize. It has also been shortlisted for the 2017 Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award, the winner of which will be named at the end of this month.
This is my 3rd book for the 2017 Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award
If you liked this, you might also like:
Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey: a heart-breaking tale of a young girl, growing up in Dublin, caught in the fallout of her family’s disintegration.
Of A Boy by Sonya Hartnett (published in the UK/US as What the Birds See): a five-star read about a young boy being raised by his grandmother in suburban Australia in 1977.
Reading Matters 
I’ve avoided this given all the brouhaha on Twitter but this is such a heartfelt review you’ve convinced me.
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Oh you must Susan… it’s one that really deserves the brouhaha!
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I have to admit I was not the least bit interested in reading this novel, either, Susan, but its shortlisting on the Kerry Group Novel of the Year prize meant I changed my mind. Also, the Kindle edition was super cheap — I got it for £1.99. It was worth every penny — and then some!
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Sold!
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Great review Kim of one of my favourites from last year… such a wonderful, accomplished debut. I’m busy listening to the audiobook version and it’s had me laughing and crying all over again – so much so when shopkeeper showed concern at my post leaky face this week I feigned hayfever – looking forward to seeing Lenny Henry convert it to the screen too.
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Thanks, Poppy. This book really did charm me. I didn’t know about the screen version: I can see it would make a rather wonderful film if they manage to find the right child actor.
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Yes! Lenny is certainly a superb narrator, like he really ‘gets’ Leon so hopefully that will transcend to casting
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I’ve been so hesitant to read this book, not sure why, but I think I might just have to take the plunge. I keep hearing great things about it. Enjoyed your review!
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Thanks, Anzel. I didn’t really want to read this either (see my comment to A Life in Books above) but am so glad I did: it’s a great read.
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I’ve taught kids with lives like this, so it sounds authentic to me.
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Be interested in hearing what you think of this book, Lisa, if you ever get the chance to read it. It’s definitely been written by someone who cares about what happens to kids from these kinds of backgrounds.
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I’ll keep an eye out for it at the library…
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I’d already planned to read this book next when I read your review so I’m now really looking forward to it! Kit de Waal was a guest on the backlisted unbound podcast (which I’ve only just discovered and so am enjoying past episodes) talking about William Maxwell – well worth a listen.
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That’s interesting… have heard good things about the Backlisted podcast but I never listen to podcasts cos I don’t have the time. A nice reminder to dig out my William Maxwell books, though: I have a couple in my TBR!
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I loved this book. I was lucky enough to hear Kit De Waal talking about the novel and how she approached it.
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I bet that was fascinating listening to de Waal talk about how she approached this book. I kept wondering if it was based on someone she knew or whether Leon was an amalgamation of various children she’d worked with.
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I remember she said the character was first conceived as a forty three year old man – and she wanted to go back to how he was as a child. I think she said she plans to write a book about that 43 year old version of Leon too.
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Oh, that sounds fascinating.
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I want this one so badly after reading your thoughts. However I have decided to suggest my local library buy this to curb my book purchases. They usually come good on my suggestions and then I get to read it first. So it’s a win win!
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That sounds like a winning combination, Jenny. I never think to ask my library about buying books; I’m not sure what the process is. Maybe I should investigate! Mind you this book was in a Kindle sale and cost me the equivalent of $4!
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I’ve been unsure about this book because it’s been so hyped but your wonderful and thoughtful review has sold me on it. I’m going to try and get a copy to read soon.
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Yes, I’m not one for hyped books. I usually tune out, switch off and decide not to read the book. But this one is a good ‘un and worth the buzz.
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This has been on my radar for a while now. The whole adoption/foster care thing is appealing to me – and it even has the mixed race aspect. I didn’t know the author’s background was so relevant to her book!
I like that Leon’s foster parents are loving. We already know what happens to people who aren’t loved – it gets more complicated when there’s love along with the challenging stuff too.
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Oh, yes, given your family background I think you will love this book!
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I’ll put this one on my list of audio books to look out for, though it can be awkward driving with a tear on your eye. My parents’ one attempt at fostering – after I’d left home – was a failure, and heartbreaking for the girl concerned.
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I have nothing but admiration for people who foster children; it must be such a tough gig but so rewarding when it works for both parties. Apparently Lenny Henry narrates the audio book…not sure if that’s a good thing cos I now associate him with chain of budget hotels which he advertises but I suspect it does a faithful and sensitive portrayal.
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