Sometimes lies are safer than the truth
When her mother is knocked down and killed by a London bus, fifteen-year-old Melon Fouraki is left with no family worth mentioning. Her mother, Maria, never did introduce Melon to a 'living, breathing' father. The indomitable Auntie Aphrodite, meanwhile, is hundreds of miles away on a farm in Crete, and is unlikely to be jumping on a plane and coming to East Finchley anytime soon. But at least Melon has 'The Story'. 'The Story' is the Fourakis family fairytale. A story is something. RED INK is a powerful coming-of-age tale about superstition, denial and family myth.
ABOUT THE AUTHORJulie Mayhew originally trained as a journalist, then as an actress, and she started writing because she hardly ever saw a script with a brilliant role for a girl or a woman. Her most recent play for BBC Radio 4, A SHOEBOX OF SNOW, was shortlisted for the Nick Darke Award and was nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award. She is currently working on her first historical play, about love and electricity in the 18th century. Because she lacks focus (or shows great versatility - you decide) she is also a prolific writer of short stories and hosts a short story cabaret night, 'The Berko Speakeasy'. Julie's debut novel RED INK was nominated for the 2014 CILIP Carnegie Medal and has also been long-listed for the 2014 Branford Boase Award. Follow Julie at: www.juliemayhew.co.uk or on Twitter: @juliemayhew
REVIEWSAlthough Red Ink is billed as a coming-of-age tale, it would be a pity for older readers to dismiss it. There are so many nuances and such precise observations that Red Ink transcends categorisation. I loved it...', Hope Whitmore, Independent on Sunday
'This is a wonderful book about the damage that lies and myths can ultimately do to a family and how the truth, though harsh, really can set you free.', The Bookseller Children's Bookseller's Choice
'Red Ink is heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting.', We Love This Book
'This beautifully-written coming-of-age story is at once heartbreaking, and full of robust humour and hopefulness. Shot through with black comedy, and with a fantastically frank and funny narrator in Melon, this challenging and uncompromising young adult novel interrogates family, identity, memory and the myths and superstitions we create for ourselves. Powerful, unusual and enormously compelling, Red Ink marks out Julie Mayhew as a young adult author to watch.', Booktrust Books We Like: February 2013
'Following her mother's sudden death 15-year-old Melon embarks on a journey of discovery in this darkly funny, emotionally raw coming-of-age debut.', The Bookseller Children's Bookseller's Choice: February
'Melon's distinctive voice narrates events past and present and captures the gamut of emotions experienced by a teenager who loses her mother and has to find a new identity.', The Bookseller Children's Bookseller's Choice: February
