A Curious Child

Publication date to be announced

In a Cairo clinic, Ronny recovers from a sex-change operation. His grandmother, his mother and then Ronny herself sift through their pasts in search of what has led to this bold self-transformation. From decades of Home Counties respectability emerge buried family secrets – of illicit love, thwarted hopes and desires, stifled by conformity and the bonds of duty from which Ronny is breaking free.

First published in 1989, we are delighted to be bringing this captivating novel back into print.

“Entirely admirable account of the decline and degeneration of a prosperous, ‘normal’, middle-class English family. The prose is consistently exquisite.” (The Times)

“Beautifully observed social tragi-comedy… the depiction of the older generation’s hopes and frustrations is quite remarkable.” (Punch)

“A remarkably daring first novel.” (The Scotsman)

“Richard Walker is a master of the time-splicing device… an impressive first novel.” (The Irish Times)

“An intelligent, thought-provoking novel… a welcome antidote to all those sweetness-and-light family sagas.” (Forum)

Richard Walker

Richard Walker spent part of his childhood in Ghana, read English at Oxford, and worked in Canada, Spain and Kuwait, before joining the British Council. Much of his subsequent professional life was spent travelling the world as a senior Director for the British Council. This brought him postings in Bangkok, New Delhi, Sao Paolo, Lagos, Cyprus, Athens, Brussels and Hong Kong. Now he divides his time between his home in Oxford, and the house and garden he and Lauren created by a Venetian town in the Peloponnese. Several of his stories and plays have been broadcast by the BBC, and in 1989 he published his first novel, A Curious Child, now republished by Amaurea Press. Amaurea Press has also published Richard’s memoir, Highlife, & my other lives. He was awarded an OBE in 1998 for Indo-British cultural relations.