Changes

|title=Little Gold

|author=Allie Rogers

|reviewer= Luke Marlowe

|genre=General Fiction

|rating=5

|buy=Yes

|isbn=978-1787199958

|website= https://allierogers.com/

|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1787199959</amazonuk>

}}

The heat is oppressive and storms are brewing in Brighton in the summer of 1982. Little Gold, a boyish girl on the brink of adolescence, is struggling with the reality of her broken family and a home descending into chaos. Her only refuge is the tree at the end of her garden. Into her fractured life steps elderly neighbour, Peggy Baxter. The connection between the two is instant, but just when it seems that Little Gold has found solace, outsiders appear who seek to take advantage of her frail family in the worst way possible. In an era when so much is hard to speak aloud, can Little Gold share enough of her life to avert disaster? And can Peggy Baxter, a woman running out of time and with her own secrets to bear, recognise the danger before it's too late?

This isn't just a heart-warming coming of age story though – threaded through are tales of hidden sexuality in less enlightened times, through to truly dark themes of neglect and abuse. It can be a hard read at times due to these themes, but never allows the reader or the characters to wallow in misery, but concentrates on moving them through it, leading to a tone that is ultimately rather uplifting. This is a journey of growth, friendship, youth and age, and there is a powerful simplicity in Allie Roger's writing that allows these characters and situations to wash over the reader like the waves on Brighton Beach – tugged down into a dark and powerful undertow, but released into the sunlight – refreshed and alive. Many thanks to the publishers for the copy.