A Cupboard Full Of Coats

Yvvette Edwards

On the very first page we are told by the protagonist, Jinx, that she murdered her mother 14 years earlier, and has since been unable to “smile without effort, or love anyone”.

But with the arrival of Lemon, an old friend of her mother’s, Jinx’s life is turned upside down. Together, the pair revisit the past to try to understand why their lives took the miserable paths they did.

Edwards cleverly combines the colourful exoticism of the West Indies with the bleak suburbs of east London. And by intermittently dropping subtle hints about that fateful night, the reader feels compelled to read on to discover the truth behind the murder — and is not disappointed. (PA)