Gemma Reeves

Victoria Park Gemma Reeves

A playful, lyrical debut novel about otherness, change, and the gap between generations in a London community.

Mona and Wolfie have lived on Victoria Park for over 50 years. As their 65th wedding anniversary approaches, they must decide how to navigate Mona's declining health. Bookended by the touching exploration of their love, Victoria Park follows 12 people living in their shared east-London neighbourhood over the course of a single year. As the months unfold, ordinary days give way to extraordinary moments. A young man finds more than he bargains for when he breaks into a house. A couple navigate IVF with varying degrees of enthusiasm. A mother struggles with the morality of reading her daughter's diary. Meanwhile, the lingering memory of an acid attack in the park sends ripples of unease through the community.

Told from multiple perspectives against a backdrop of the changing seasons, these carefully interwoven tales create a rich tapestry of a novel and a meditation on resilience, love and loss.

'Victoria Park is a beautifully-written novel, which interrogates alienation, change, and the unlikely and sometimes unknown ties that exist within a London community. It is original, thought-provoking, and I loved its reflection on moments of quiet revelation.'
Elizabeth Macneal