“…nothing was solid, least of all herself.” #1949Club #persephonebooks

For the final read of our #1949Club week, I turned to a book which I’ve owned for some time but hadn’t initially realised was released in the year in question – “The Far Cry” by Emma Smith, in a Persephone Edition. This came to me some years ago courtesy of an X/Twitter acquaintance, the lovely Tracy, who kindly sent it on to me. It was obviously awaiting its time, which arrived now, as it managed to grab my attention despite the 1949 pile having some amazing-looking books. This one seemed to chime in with my reading mood perfectly, and I was engrossed from the very start. “Far…” was Smith’s second book but her first novel, and it draws on her own experiences travelling to India with a film-making crew which included fellow author Laurie Lee! As the story opens, we meet Teresa Digby, a fourteen year old girl who lives with her aunt. However, her father, Mr. Digby, is about to descend upon them and she’s frankly terrified. He’s a loud, larger than life figure and it’s clear there is no…