'Exceptionally well drawn as the whole picture is revealed, little by little, with growing suspense. Acutely observed, and psychologically on the button. Superb' Ruth McKee, Irish Times


Catherine is small and everyone else is big. The world has lots of rules which she cannot keep up with, and lots of things happen that just don't feel right. With Dad gone and Mum at work, Catherine spends her days with Bernard and Pat. These are days that she will never forget but never quite remember, either.

Bernard and Pat is a tour-de-force, a novel deeply aware of the peculiarities of memory and the vulnerability of childhood. Catherine's voice is unforgettable.

'An exquisitely crafted, beautiful little book, which asks startlingly brave questions about how the past invades our present and makes us who we are' Elanor Dymott, author of Slack-Tide

'Reminded me of Nabokov' Camilla Grudova, author of The Doll's Alphabet

'[Blair] James is the [Ann] Quin of the North' Manchester Review of Books