A Certain Age
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Teenager Rebbecca Ray's debut novel paints a deeply disturbing portrait of the life of an adolescent girl growing up in small-town England in the dying breaths of the 20th century. The humiliations of her first day at secondary school soon give way to grudging acceptance as Ray's unnamed heroine learns how to "fit in". Letting boys touch her and hanging out with the misfits and trouble-makers makes daily life bearable. Which is just as well as home life is far from bearable. With a brow-beaten, ineffectual mother, whose own feelings of self-worth have long since been ground to a pulp by a bullying, overbearing husband, it comes as no surprise when their 14-year-old daughter starts dating a man old enough to be her father. Sex, drugs, paedophilia and masochism are all shrugged off by our 14-year-old leading lady whose feelings of self-loathing grow deeper, page by gripping page, until they reach a disturbing, inevitable conclusion. Written in the first person, Ray's narrative is stark and shocking. She describes a life, a family, a society too darkly accurate to be pure fiction. As a novelist, Rebbecca Ray has found a suitable channel for her emotions. Today's teenagers, meanwhile, need help. --Carey Green
Product Description
'I lost my virginity to a twenty-five year-old man. And on a schoolnight, too.' Sex with an Older Man Parents who don't understand Politics in the playground Blowjobs behind the bike-sheds Skinning up in the schoolyard It's what happens when you reach a Certain Age. Just the hormones kicking in. We've all been there . . . haven't we? A CERTAIN AGE - the reality behind the problem pages. It's what Just 17 never told you about growing up.
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First Sentence
I was about thirteen when I started letting the boys feel me up. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I was about thirteen when I started letting the boys feel me up. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is brilliant. The writing style, the conversation, the shifts of emotion brilliantly paced and crafted. A book where the nearly final paragraphs are barely taken in whilst galloping to the finish to enjoy the festivities of Christmas with the family! Characters excellently depicted, deep and grittily real (shame about Michael who never seems to be anything but a smaller brother with no impact...) The topics covered self-harm, sex in very realistic teen-girl descriptors, relationships, school and the emotionality of teenage girls magnificently worded and the masterful drawing out of family relationships, especially girls and their "letting-go" dads. A gem of a book I accidently bought for want of something better, the best I have read all year - hope all my future accidents are as lucky!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this several years ago and it has stayed with me. When I read it, I was about 21 and it shocked me because it was so brutally truthful. Although I was barely out of my teens myself, I had already glossed over a lot of my adolescence because, viewed through adult eyes, it is not nice. The thoughts I had, the things I (and my friends) did are all reflected in this book. I was reminded of the bits I wanted to forget. OK, this is more extreme than I ever was, but that is the nature of fiction, the essence of the work is something I think everyone could relate to (if not, you are very lucky!).
Every adult should read it because it really shows the shocking inner world of teenagers - the bits you will edit out and forget through wanting to pretend that your adolescence was clean and innocent and will then be unable to relate to your own children when they go through those stages.
Every adult should read it because it really shows the shocking inner world of teenagers - the bits you will edit out and forget through wanting to pretend that your adolescence was clean and innocent and will then be unable to relate to your own children when they go through those stages.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think that one of the most compelling parts of this book is the fact that i could recognise many of the characters in the book, from the meddling "best friend" dawn, to Holly's unachiveable beauty, to the tired and unhappy parents.
It started off reminding me of my own schooldays, (i am m,24 by the way) some happy some sad, before moving on to the twisted phsyche of the main character.
I shifted between hatred and a sort of appreciation for Oliver, and would love to know where Rebecca Ray actually places him in the novel. on the one hand he is a 31 year old man having sex with a child, however on the other hand is the person who actually stands up to the bitter twisted father.
I was a little disapointed that the ending of the book left a little to be desired, as we are not left knowing whether Olivers relationship with the main character (presumably Rebecca Ray herself, as a work this intense has to be at least partially autobiographical) is to continue or end, and whether her mental state improves or continues in a downward spiral.
Also what is the main issue in the book?
Is it the sex/paedophilia problem, with Oliver being chosen over the bullying Robin, is it the lack of a happy home or is it the mutilation that we should look at in closest detail.
I for one am looking forward to Ms. Rays next book, and hope that perhaps it could follow on from where this left off.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
WASTE OF MONEY!!
I bought this book together with Prozac Nation,(it was a recommendation) and I can honestly say that it is probably the worst book I have read in the last 5 years. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Belindaw
True to teenage life!
I started reading and wasn't overly impressed.
The narrative style reminded me of something I would have read when I was about 12, but as the story continued and it grew... Read more
The narrative style reminded me of something I would have read when I was about 12, but as the story continued and it grew... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Miss S. F. Patrick
An absolute waste of time and money.
The book started off just okay. And it got worse from there. There was no plot to the story, no real point. There was no emotion and I found it all a bit weird. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Haidee's Mummy
Cheerless and at times crude
I gave up on this book about halfway through, mainly because it's an extremely cold and cheerless read that lacks emotional involvement with the main character. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Helena Scullion
Growing up in the late 80s....
The repressed emotion, the in depth yet subtle observations, the need to 'fit in' - took me back to when I was 14, living at home in a similar environment. Read more
Published 20 months ago by N. A. Jones
Promising start that peters out
The first few pages of this were enthralling and I was eager to read on. However, it soon petered out into repetitive prose and slow-moving plot. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Cult Fiction
Youth Wasted On The Young?
Disturbing and ultra-realistic, this book will remind many adults of their own adolescent yearnings to fit in and be accepted by their peers, even to the point of doing things that... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2009 by Eileen Shaw
Well, I must say...
This book was one of the most uniquely written books i've read in a while.
The main chararcter begins starts the book off as a pre-teen and at the tender age of 14 embarks on... Read more
The main chararcter begins starts the book off as a pre-teen and at the tender age of 14 embarks on... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2008 by G. Hagen
Don't bother!
This novel is about a 14 year old girl,her angry parents and her relationship with a much older bloke. For the first 15 pages or so I thought this book was all right. Read more
Published on 2 July 2008 by Kate
Not worth your money...
I really can't think of one good thing to say about this book. The style is irritating and the characters are unappealing, displaying both flat characterisation and unrealistic... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2008 by bored
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