Hurry Up And Wait

By Isabel Ashdown


In ‘Hurry Up And Wait’ Isabel Ashdown has produced a perfectly pitched trip back to the mid-eighties.

The story of Sarah Ribbons, and her coming of age in 1985 and 1986, is illustrated beautifully with the sights, sounds and feelings of the time. For those of us who shared the experience of growing up in these times the atmosphere is absolutely spot-on.

Isabel Ashdown has captured every heartbeat of the uncertainty and excitement of growing up. Duplicitous friendships, awakening sexuality and the trials of school and exams are all depicted as Sarah’s story unfolds.

Sarah is a deeply empathetic character from the start. No reader could fail to be moved by the situations she finds herself in as she exposes her heart to the possibilities of love and the dangers of betrayal for the first time.

The characters around her are also real and boldly drawn. I particularly liked Sarah’s father; charming but utterly self-absorbed.

The storyline starts at a school reunion taking place twenty years later. Through this section the secrets of the past are finally revealed and Sarah’s story finds its resolution. Anyone who has ever attended a reunion with ambivalent feelings in their heart will identify strongly with this section.

I really enjoyed Isabel Ashdown’s first novel, ‘Glasshopper’ but, if anything, would have to say ‘Hurry Up And Wait' is even better. I loved everything about it.

Reviewed by Helen M Hunt

‘Hurry Up And Wait’ is published by Myriad Editions and I am grateful to them for the review copy.

You can read my review of ‘Glasshopper’ here, and you can see Isabel’s website (complete with Eighties Hall Of Fame/Shame) here.