She was inspired by a visit to Clapham South tube station, which had been used during World War II as an air raid shelter. The book started out as a short story, says Louise, but the feedback she received was that people wanted to know more about the character she’d created what happened to him after his arrival in London? The short story became a chapter in a novel. The main character Lawrie finds a dead baby in the pond on Clapham Common and quickly becomes the prime suspect for the child’s murder. The book, a murder mystery, is largely set in Brixton. And, before long, the newest arrivals become the prime suspects in a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart’. ‘As the local community rallies, fingers of blame are pointed at those who had recently been welcomed with open arms. Until, one morning, he makes a terrible discovery. Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home – and it’s alive with possibility. Fresh off the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door.
‘With the Blitz over and London reeling from war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help. The music is playing. But the party can’t last. This Lovely City charts the course of a jazz musician newly arrived in London on the Empire Windrush, and the opportunity, excitement, prejudice and love he finds in the dizzying metropolis. ‘An atmospheric and utterly compelling debut novel’ – goodreads Louise Hare’s book This Lovely City is described as ‘a soaring debut’ set in London in the aftermath of the Second World War. Images above: Louise Hare This Lovely City cover This Lovely City – Louise Hare
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