The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen - March 2013

[Clare Bookclub Mod]

This book struck me as an unusual and wholly original debut. It's written from the point of view of ten-year old girl Judith McPherson.

Judith and her father don’t have much—their house is full of dusty relics, reminders of the mother she’s never known. But Judith sees the world with the clear Eyes of Faith, and where others might see rubbish, Judith sees possibility. Bullied at school, she finds solace in making a model of the Promised Land—little people made from pipe cleaners, a sliver of moon, luminous stars, and a mirror sea—a world of wonder that Judith calls the Land of Decoration. Perhaps, she thinks, if she makes it snow indoors (using shaving cream and cotton balls and Scotch tape) there will be no school on Monday. Sure enough, when Judith opens her curtains the next day, the world beyond her window has turned white. She has performed her first miracle. And that’s when her troubles begin.

With its intensely taut storytelling and gorgeous prose, The Land of Decoration is a breathtaking story of good and evil, belief and doubt. Grace McCleen is a blazing new talent in contemporary literature.

'A tremendously affecting novel. skilfully and arrestingly written, and one that packs a big emotional punch' Sunday Times

'Surprising, affecting, thoughtful and complex, McCleen's novel grows in power the more time you spend with it' Observer