White female, single mother, early 40s. Long-term resident of the Lovelace Estate and member of the police liaison committee for the community at time of riots. Has one teenage daughter, Lyndall Mason. Recent contact was made with ex-lover known as ‘Banji’, with whom relations ended some 15 years prior.
Whitton Wednesday Reading Group:
Yes it can. Each character can give a different view on the same event, particularly in a book like Ten Days, where there is such a diversity of social, ethnic and religious characters, including the author herself.
Bushy Park Readers (Hampton Hill):
Yes. It can enable us to take on the point of view of a person or people with very different circumstances and views from our own. This can inform our judgements about past events and help us to approach new experiences with a more open mind. We experience vicariously through Cathy’s eyes what it is like to live on an estate such as the Lovelace; we can identify with the disaffected community and understand the pressures which led to the riots and the excitement and fear while taking part.
Richmond Reading Group (3rd Wednesday):
Definitely. That is why we read. Insights into people/events we wouldn't otherwise encounter.
Castelnau Reading Group:
'The book certainly helped to see the world through all kinds of nationalities and backgrounds’
‘I felt a great empathy with the protestors and it made me think about the real life rioters in the recent London riots in a much more sympathetic way’
Whitton Reading Group:
Fiction helps the reader see an event/happening from another interesting angle or point of view - perhaps an angle they have never though of previously. This gives an insight/enlightenment which in its turn could cause a change of mind or, of course, maybe reconfirm the original point of view.
Annie's Reading Group (Kew):
Yes, especially if it is about subjects not known to the reader. The reader has to have an open mind and be accepting. Reading different books on different subjects does extend knowledge and give a different perspective.
Fiction can create a contrast between the ideas of author and reader. The bigger the contrast the more likely it is the reader will be challenged into rethinking their perspective.
Twickenham Reading Group (3rd Wednesday evening):
The ordinary people in the community - e.g. volunteers. We felt that there is more 'community' on an estate than in the local streets in this area.
Ham Library Reading Group:
Yes, it was fairly reported at the time and we're not sure if anything has changed or if it is any different today.
It’s 4 a.m. and Cathy Mason is watching dawn break over the Lovelace estate. By the end of the day, her community will be a crime scene. By the end of the week, her city will be on fire.
In this gripping thriller by Orange Prize-shortlisted author Gillian Slovo, ten unpredictable days of violence erupt from a stifling heatwave. And, as Westminster careers are being made or ruined, lives are at stake. Ten Days is about what happens when politics, policing and the hard realities of living in London collide.
Listen to extracts from the book by visiting Audible’s dedicated channel on Soundcloud.
About Gillian Slovo
Gillian Slovo is a playwright and the author of thirteen books, including five crime novels, the courtroom drama Red Dust, which was made into a feature film starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and the Orange Prize-shortlisted Ice Road. She co-authored the play Guantanamo - Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, which was staged internationally. Her research for her play The Riots inspired Ten Days. Gillian Slovo was President of English PEN from 2010 to 2013 and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She was born in South Africa and lives in London.
More about the book