Elise Valmorbida

Meet Terry. He’s white. And weird. He has visions. And breasts. He works in an all-night London garage; the other workers are Tamil. Haunted by true news stories, and obsessed by his mysterious manager Siv, Terry stumbles into Tamil London.

The author in interview:
“The Winding Stick started as a collection of short monologues inspired by real newspaper stories. The narrator works in a petrol station. At night. This is a book about seeing, about overcoming bad faith, about darkness and light. I spent all night at a garage, midnight shift till dawn. I was the only white person behind the glass. Apart from one African, the rest of the cashiers were Tamil. At this time, Sri Lankans were top of the UK immigration lists, but I knew nothing about Tamil people or their culture, apart from the Tamil Tigers. And so my huge research journey began. Tamil film festivals, Tamil temples, Tamil websites, Tamil friends, Tamil London. And so emerged the character of Siva, the garage manager whose hidden story is at the centre of the circle.”

		The Winding Stick Buy

		Home Books The Happy Writing Book The Madonna of the Mountains The Winding Stick The TV President Saxon The Book of Happy Endings Matilde Waltzing Teaching Writing Projects Events Contact + Links		“This book is a literary classic in the making and you should read it as soon as you can. More please from Ms Valmorbida.” —Anne Brooke, Vulpes Libris “An original and compassionate study of changing social structures.” —Rajes Bala “Written with compassion, suspense and verve, The Winding Stick is a story of London’s immigrants: a novel that explores dislocation and delusion, but becomes bright with possibility and love.” —Sharon Blackie “Valmorbida’s enigmatic plot is matched by an equally obscure structure and slick, musical language. The book’s swinging tempo and shifting points of view make for a challenging though worthwhile read.” —Scottish Review of Books “A beautifully written, hauntingly crepuscular story about the margins of society, tough and tender and full of brilliant images that stay with you. Highly readable, highly recommended.” —Roger Horberry Meet Terry. He’s white. And weird. He has visions. And breasts. He works in an all-night London garage; the other workers are Tamil. Haunted by true news stories, and obsessed by his mysterious manager Siv, Terry stumbles into Tamil London. The author in interview: “The Winding Stick started as a collection of short monologues inspired by real newspaper stories. The narrator works in a petrol station. At night. This is a book about seeing, about overcoming bad faith, about darkness and light. I spent all night at a garage, midnight shift till dawn. I was the only white person behind the glass. Apart from one African, the rest of the cashiers were Tamil. At this time, Sri Lankans were top of the UK immigration lists, but I knew nothing about Tamil people or their culture, apart from the Tamil Tigers. And so my huge research journey began. Tamil film festivals, Tamil temples, Tamil websites, Tamil friends, Tamil London. And so emerged the character of Siva, the garage manager whose hidden story is at the centre of the circle.” Kindle Paperback