Freud, Esther

(British, 1963– )

Esther Freud, the daughter of the painter Lucian Freud and a descendant of Sigmund Freud, grew up in Sussex and worked as an actor before turning to writing. Her first novel was Hideous Kinky (1992), a thoroughly engaging read, with a 5-year-old narrator whose mother takes her on the hippy trail to Marrakesh. Partly autobiographical, this novel reveals family relationships and shows the child's ability to adapt to all sorts of surprising situations. Peerless Flats (1993) is an altogether darker novel, although still written with a characteristic light touch, in which the sane, 16-year-old Lisa struggles to keep her dysfunctional family together. Gaglow (1997) is set partly in the time of the First World War and concentrates on the rediscovery of family history.

Lucy Ellman, Kate Atkinson. See CHILDHOOD  SA