I have a limited number of copies of Erica Emdon‘s extraordinary novel from 2009 Jelly Dog Days for sale. This is an unique opportunity for you to own a copy of this novel, as it is currently out-of-print. The cost is £6.99 including p&p. I’m afraid this is only available to purchasers in the UK. Payment may be made by PayPal (to bookseeker{a}blueyonder.co.uk), but please email first to enquire about availability.

About Jelly Dog Days:

“I’m forty now. I’m not sure I’m recovered. I still feel like an outsider sometimes, looking in on the world from a stranger vantage point. Like I went to an alien planet and have come back, but no one understands what I saw. I suppose I will always be like that.”

Growing up in a working-class family in South Africa in the 1960s and 70s, with her narcissistic and neglectful mother, Lizette, and her stepfather Piet, a construction worker who spends much of his time away from home, Terry learns early on that childhood, at least for her, is a matter of survival. Those who are meant to protect and care for her increasingly exploit her, and as she watches her mother drag herself to and from her job at Harry’s Dry Cleaner’s each day, then sink into alcoholism and eventually to relinquish all parental responsibility, it is left to Terry to become the caregiver and protector of her four younger siblings. The only real affection she is shown comes from the family’s nanny Sophie, with whom she forms a strong bond, and from Piet who, while proving to be the more attentive parent, nevertheless exacts a high price for his favours.

At twelve years old, Terry is unwittingly drawn into the student unrest of 1976 when Sophie’s son Rex disappears in the political tumult of the time, and she tries to help Sophie find out what has happened to him. At the same time she finds herself on a treacherous and terrifying journey of her own that she is powerless to control, and as she watches her family disintegrate around her, she has to dig deep to find the strength cope.

Terry’s intelligence, resilience, and fortitude make her the irresistible, heartbreaking heroine of Jelly Dog Days. Despite everything that the universe throws at her, she retains a passion for life and an innate optimism that are truly remarkable. Erica Emdon’s debut novel is a story of trust and betrayal but, more importantly, it is about survival and, to some extent, redemption.

Erica Emdon was born in Johannesburg, where she still lives with her family. She works as a public interest lawyer at a non-governmental organisation, focusing on children’s and women’s rights.