Thistle in the Long Grass

Description

The thistle plant has a beautiful bloom, but it is protected by sharp barbs and prickly leaves. How many blooms would be plucked if not for those organic fortifications?

Thistle, a name she adopts for herself, is an emotionally damaged young woman who experiences abuse, abandonment and loneliness in her childhood. As she attempts to move beyond her traumatic past, Thistle develops complex relationships with two other women, Hilary and Fliss.

Set against the social landscape of the 1970s and 80s, this sensitive and considered psychological drama explores themes of friendship, self-discovery and the female experience. As in real life, there is humour and pathos. The novel invites the reader to consider the circumstances which lead its characters to make the decisions that they do and to empathise with their personal conflicts.

E. I. Parr studied psychology as part of various roles working supportively with groups and individuals, predominately teenagers and adults. She spent time as an integrative therapist. Her creativity has been expressed through amateur dramatics, music and writing. Initially she penned poetry, progressing to short stories. Thistle in the Long Grass is her first full-length novel.