book cover

Rose, Interrupted

by Patrice Lawrence

Interest age: 13 to 17
Reading age: 10+

Published by Hodder, 2019

  • Coming-of-age

About this book

When Rose leaves the stifling rigidity of life among God’s Pilgrims, governed by strict rules about everything, to live with the Worldly Wise, she formulates a ten-point plan to help her integrate into the outside world of freedom and social media.

Despite living in a squalid flat above a smelly kebab shop, and her mum working long hours in several jobs just to keep them off the streets, Rose thinks her plan is going pretty well. Until her boyfriend wants to take a topless photo of her.

He says everyone is doing it and, with no frame of reference, Rose becomes increasingly aware that there are a whole heap of unwritten rules for life as a 17-year-old that she has no idea about.

A thoughtful and compelling look at the rules, whether formal or unspoken, that govern all our lives, and a timely assessment of both the positive and negative aspects of a world increasingly focused on social media. The book also explores themes of self-expression, loyalty, and family dynamics.

About the author

Patrice Lawrence was born in Brighton and brought up in an Italian and Trinidadian household. Her first book for young adults, Orangeboy, was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award and won the Bookseller YA Prize and Waterstone’s Prize for Older Children's Fiction. Indigo Donut, her second book for teenagers, won the Crimefest YA Prize. Both books have been nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Patrice worked for more than 20 years for charities supporting equality and social justice. These themes (along with a serious amount of music) inform her stories. Patrice still lives in Brighton.

She is our current Writer in Residence.

Watch our interview with Patrice Lawrence

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