The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant

The Clothes on Their Backs

Linda Grant

Vivien is enthralled by her charismatic and infamous Uncle Sandor. Sheltered by her timid Hungarian immigrant parents, she courts danger and excitement but at what cost? This novel focuses on how our clothes define us. Do we present ourselves as we want other people to see us or does what we wear reflect of our true personalities? Reading this is like exploring a Chinese box full of the secret compartments that make up a human being.

Extract
Then he went on with his remarkable story, and I confess that despite my deep dislike for this vile man, I was reluctantly drawn deeper and deeper into his world, to me like a film or a novel in which I was becoming engrossed. He was a fantastic talker, he could bring every moment alive, he had the seducer's gift of the gab.
Parallels
  • A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
  • The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
  • The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant