A glorious comedy of misunderstandings set in a seemingly ordinary end-of-wartime suburb
In this second installment on the trials and tribulations of a young boy growing up in Birmingham towards the end of the Second World War, young Morley Charles—the inventive and sexually curious hero of The Pig Bin—is back, and this time with artistic ambitions and some serious anxiety that he won't be clever enough to get into the city’s art school. The resulting lies he tells to advance himself in the eyes of those around him of course bring about all manner of trouble, and Richardson captures perfectly the dialogue of a thirteen year old boy. Both externally with his friends, family, and teachers but also, and most importantly, with himself—the tortuous conversations that Morley conducts in his head to be able to face up to the world are both touching and humorous. At times heart warming and poignant, at others laugh out loud funny, Careless Talk is a charming, witty, and insightful book which leaves readers heart-warmed and wanting to know where life goes next for its young hero.
