Crocodile Soup by Julia Darling

 

Gert Hardcastle does not have an ideal childhood.  She lives with her mother, Jean, who refuses to even speak to her, father George who despairs of marriage with Jean and sails off never to return and her twin brother Frank, a genius.  Gert is exiled to the attic bedroom which she believes is haunted.  At school, she is considered strange and has no friends.  

But she survives and becomes an adult.  Gert has a job at the local museum where she is a curator.  She is in love with Eva who works in the cafeteria.  Gert knew early that she didn't want men but preferred women.  Now that she is grown, Jean who left years ago is writing and asking for money or a home but years of apathy and dislike leave Gert unlikely to provide either.

This book was nominated for the Orange Prize in 1999.  This is Julia Darling's debut novel and is a bit uneven.  She writes in short bursts, giving episodes and incidents from Gert's childhood intermixed with adult events.  This time shifting is a bit confusing.  Readers will emphasize with Gert and wish her well on her journey from childhood to adulthood.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.