The thistle plant has a beautiful bloom, but it is protected by sharp barbs and prickly leaves. How many blooms would be plucked if not for those organic fortifications?
Thistle In The Long Grass
Thistle, a name she adopts for herself, is an emotionally damaged young woman who experiences abuse, abandonment and loneliness in her childhood. As she attempts to move beyond her traumatic past, Thistle develops complex relationships with two other women, Hilary and Fliss.
Set against the social landscape of the 1970s and 80s, this sensitive and considered psychological drama explores themes of friendship, self-discovery and the female experience. As in real life, there is humour and pathos. The novel invites the reader to consider the circumstances which lead its characters to make the decisions that they do and to empathise with their personal conflicts.
E. I. Parr studied psychology as part of various roles working supportively with groups and individuals, predominately teenagers and adults. She spent time as an integrative therapist. Her creativity has been expressed through amateur dramatics, music and writing. Initially she penned poetry, progressing to short stories. Thistle in the Long Grass is her first full-length novel.
E. I. Parr says, “I found myself studying a thistle, with its beautiful bloom surrounded by sharp barbs and spikey leaves. For me it symbolised an emotionally damaged person who has learned to protect themselves by keeping their inner loveliness inaccessible.
Thistle’s character grew from that symbolism. The historical and cultural context of a port city during the nineteen sixties, seventies and early eighties, prior to the digital age, mobile phones etc, became a foundation on which my imagination could build. Back then (and still nowadays, but hopefully to a lesser degree,) it was very common for people to judge others without compassion.
The book strives to unravel its key characters, especially Thistle, and in doing so cultivate empathy for those human beings that we just don’t understand. People do not have either ‘halos’ or ‘horns.’
This psychological drama contains a dark and disturbing theme; true to real life there is humour and pathos. It paints one social landscape of twentieth century England, particularly the ‘female’ experience.’
Enter a virtual time-machine; the young women in this story could now be someone’s mother or grandmother, or yourself.”
RELEASE DATE: 28/01/2023
ISBN: 9781915352651 Price: £8.99
Tagged in Books