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Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow's All the Little Bird-Hearts is a novel that will stay with you long after you close the book. It takes place in the 1980’s, and the narrator and heroine is the autistic mother of a teenage daughter. She worries she is on the verge of losing the only person she has ever really loved, and of being seduced by the magnetic social butterflies that are her new neighbors. Viktoria Barlow has autism as well, and her novel is a beautiful exploration of motherhood, friendship and one character’s experience of autism. Long listed for the Booker Prize, Viktoria’s words are lyrical and haunting. This is a great episode on which to end the year. Happy 2024!!!

Books mentioned in this week’s episode:

• All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
• Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
• Geek Girl by Holly Smale
• Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
• The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
• The Haunting at Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst

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