The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir By Lesley Allen

[amazon_link id=”1785770381″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir’ is the debut novel by Northern Ireland author, Lesley Allen.

Abandoned by her mother as a baby, and with a father who’s not quite equipped for the challenges of modern parenting, Biddy lives in her own little world, happy to pass her time painting by the sea and watching the birds go by. That is, until she meets Alison Flemming. Because there are a few things about Biddy that aren’t normal, you see. And Alison isn’t afraid to point them out to the world. All of a sudden, Biddy’s quiet life is thrown into turmoil. If only there was someone to convince her that, actually, everyone’s a little bit weird.

To say this story broke my heart would be an understatement, it quite literally tore me in two at the sadness of one character.

The story is seen through the eyes of lonely Biddy Weir, a reclusive little girl who wants nothing more than to belong, but with an elderly father, no mother and a lack of money, she is the perfect subject of abuse for new girl Alison Fleming, to pick on. So follows years of torment, as Biddy struggles to fit in as Alison is constantly there to belittle and hurt the quiet girl. Later on in life, therapist and newcomer to the small town, Terri takes Biddy under her wing and not only becomes a friend to the lonely woman but is also there to help Biddy deal with the dark times and embrace her passion for painting.

I adored Buddy, she was a sweet and timid character who longed to settle in and be just like the others. She suffers from lack of confidence with not being the trendiest of girls and after years of torture begins to believe that she is ‘Bloody Weirdo’ the name that Alison and her friends call her. I longed for her to find her voice and finally speak up but she carried on in silence, occasionally making friends along the way only to be hurt. I thought she was fascinating, riddled with guilt and lack of esteem, she finally begins to believe in herself when Terri comes to town. A bubbly, warm woman who wants to help Biddy to come out of herself and no longer living in the shadows. I hated Alison, she was bitchy, vile and purely took her own insecurities out on Biddy. The story is filled with many complex and troubled characters that all made for interesting reading as they all battled their own demons.

A tragic and sad tale from the beginning, ‘The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir’ is a beautifully written story about the loneliness of isolation and bullying. Tackling the harsh issue of abuse and fitting into society, this charming and poignant book makes for bittersweet reading and with an unexpected twist that shocks the reader at the end, this is most definitely a debut that will stick out in my mind.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”1785770381″ target=”_blank” ]The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.