The Larcher

The Larcher is a novel about childhood, centrally concerning a lively and curious girl who forms a mistaken belief that has unforeseen consequences. There are two perspectives: one is that of an elderly woman in a nursing home, nearing the end of a long illness and haunted by visions of a lost childhood. The other is that of an adventurous ten year old trying to make sense of the world of her small Northern seaside village .While the girl's narrative is full of humour and innocence, there is also a darker edge, both in the everyday perils girls can encounter and in the larger sphere of government espionage. It was co-written by two 'best' childhood friends who lived entire oceans and worlds apart for fifty years, but wrote the novel as if they had never been separated.