Becoming Liz Taylor By Elizabeth Delo

‘Becoming Liz Taylor’ is the latest book by Elizabeth Delo and is a tender and poignant story about loss.

Val, a widow living in Weston-super-Mare, spends lonely evenings dressing up as the movie star Elizabeth Taylor. It seems to be a way of coping with the loss and sadness she has experienced in her life. One day, when Val sees a pram left unattended on the seafront, on a whim she kicks off the brake and walks away with it…

Primarily seen through narrative of Val and her son Rafe who are both united in grief over the deaths of Len and Duncan, father and son. Val has an unusual way of dealing with her grief which is to dress up as Elizabeth Taylor and reenact some of her most famous roles, as Len her husband said that Val looked similar to the famous actress. Unknown to Val, this dress up drove a wedge between Rafe and herself and he ran off and didn’t properly talk to her for over 30 years. Now in her 70’s and alone, when Val spots a baby alone in a pram, she sees this as a second chance of being a mother and goes off on an adventure with a little boy who she calls Christopher, unaware that the police are after her. Whilst Rafe never got over the breakup of his relationship, he’s struggling to find work and feel happy in his life.

I really connected with this story and found it to be one of the most beautifully written books of 2023. As a new mother, I loved the descriptions of Christopher and found myself comparing him to my own little boy. My heart went out to Val, who never got over the loss of her baby and these scenes where she reflects on this loss does make for sad reading. The story focuses on second chances and reconnections both with Val and Rafe, as they come to terms with their loss and how they handled the situation. I loved Val, I felt an empathy for her as she fell in love with Christopher but knew deep down that he wasn’t hers and as she struggles with a new baby, it’s hard not to feel sorry for her, as she battles with her conscience and mental health.

Wonderfully written and vividly descriptive, ‘Becoming Liz Taylor’ is a heartfelt and emotive story about tragedy, grief and dealing with loss.

You can buy ‘Becoming Liz Taylor’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.