What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
Grasshopper
SOLVED: Adult Fiction
>
SOLVED. Exploring the rooftops of London; group of university friends hangs out for a summer in the London flat of someone's parents. Typically aimless students, underemployed, loosely joined or hooked up, dope -smoking [s]
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Could it be Grasshopper by Ruth Rendell (think it was published under her pen name Barbara Vine)?It's set in London and the characters go up on the rooftops, but they eventually graduate to climbing on pylons, which becomes a major part of the story.
Published 2002 if that helps.
From the summary and reviews, I don't think so. It's very un-Rendell in feeling, dreamy and atmospheric. And probably earlier pub date...80's? 90's?
Actually in the Barbara Vine book the pylons came earlier and only related to one member of the group. Apart from the publishing date, all the details you've listed do fit Grasshopper. There are a lot of flashbacks and mysteries in the book, and the feeling is very different when she writes as Barbara Vine.
I think you can discount Roofworld by Christopher Fowler. It is set in the 1980s and features conflict between groups of people who live on the rooftops of London and use zip wires to move between the buildings without coming down to ground level.
Rachel and Valerie- you are right.Found a longer review of Grasshopper and that's the book I remember. Funny how selective memory is- I retained the weird communal living situation but forgot all the action!
Memory is so funny isn't it! I remember Grasshopper being mainly about pylons, not rooftops, so my description of the book was probably misleading. Glad you have found what you're looking for.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Grasshopper (other topics)Roofworld (other topics)
Grasshopper (other topics)
intended age-range: General, with young adult appeal
author: unknown
the plot: a group of university friends hangs out for a summer in the London flat of someone's parents. Typically aimless students, underemployed, loosely joined or hooked up, dope -smoking, with very little money, one of them accidentally finds a fascinating pastime: exploring London by traversing its roofs at night.