Not many novels mention Totteridge, so I was pleased to read this: “Mrs. Cutler had spent the previous weekend with her sister-in-law, whom she loathed, in Totteridge (‘Beautiful place she's got there. Just like the country’).”
The Debut is a witty and insightful look at families and how dysfunctional they are. Ruth, an earnest young academic researching the works of Balzac, ends up putting her ambitions on hold as a result of her eccentric and demanding parents. There’s real poignancy, with plenty of laugh-and-cry-at-the-same-time moments. The character of Ruth’s mother, a minor actress, is especially well drawn.
Ultimately it’s a sad book about the ways our hopes and dreams are so often limited by the actions of others and circumstances beyond our control.
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