A moving story of an ageing woman forced out of her exile by a random act of violence, written by the author of The Hiding Place which was shortlisted for the 2000 Booker Prize.

Stori afaelgar am hen wraig yn cael ei gorfodi allan o'i bywyd tawel gan weithred o drais, gan awdur y nofel The Hiding Place.

Remember Me is a thoroughly disturbing novel written in a style of elegance and poetry. Having read it once, I feel I must go back and read it again for, now I know where Azzopardi was taking me, I want to devour and dissect the inner nuances of this novel.

Our heroine is many-named, she is living in a world she has virtually no understanding of, and, as we enter her mind and with her resurrect the past, we conjure up the disturbing facts that made the child Pats become the woman Winnie, mentally unbalanced, striving for affection, utterly misunderstood.

Azzopardi writes with a unique insight, giving us a vivid and far from comfortable portrayal of a life that is forever falling apart. Next time I see a living mound under a dirty blanket on a park bench I will undoubtedly feel more uncomfortable and questioning than I would have before I read Remember Me. Spanning seven decades, we learn not only of Winnie's life but of those with whom she is involved; nothing is ever quite as it seems.

This is not a book to read in haste; it is a work to be digested slowly, discussed and questioned. Azzopardi to my mind has written a novel of substance and significance - not a pleasure to read but a pleasure to have read.

Norma Penfold

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.