The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress by Beryl Bainbridge

The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress

Beryl Bainbridge

Two unlikely companions Rose and Harold set off in a camper van across America in search of the elusive Dr Wheeler. Their strained relationship is one of circumstance, wrought with tension. Set against the backdrop of Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign, the novel offers an illuminating snapshot of the 1960s and a shocking glimpse into the life of the everyday man.

Extract
If, when she got back, Polly and Bernard asked for her impressions of America she wouldn't find it easy, the miles having cascaded past in a swirl of sun-scorched days. She supposed she might waft on about Mr Nixon and how unfair it was that Mr Kennedy, the JFK one, had cheated him out of the presidency because he was so rich, but she wasn't sure she'd get her facts right.
Parallels
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge