Author: Roy Claire Potter
Publisher: Book Works
Paperback
Burley Fisher Books of the Year 2025
Cat says… After the death of her mother the character in The Wastes tells the story of her past in fragments and non-chronological reflections. At one point while being unemployed she sneaks into a housemate's bed and sleeps there while she is at work. There is something very queer and subversive about this although there’s no overt suggestion of sex in the retelling of the scene. This book also has a strong connection to place, the north of England is prominent. One of the most memorable episodes is when the character works in a strip bar in Manchester and the title itself represents a strip of countryside in the South Pennines that the protagonist, in her grief, chooses to visit.