Penguin Random House UK

Never before have I had such an eerie feeling while reading a book; the setting, language and actual events of West Yorkshire in 1979 and 1980 have been captured with such precision and skill it was as if I was re-living my childhood having grown up in the county during those years.

At the start of 1979, the UK was at the cusp of political change with the election of the first-ever female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Closer to the book’s main character’s home county a serial murderer, dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, continued to terrorise women in the area; the victims brutally attacked with a hammer. Between 1975 to 1980 thirteen women were murdered by Peter Sutcliffe and he attacked seven more. The fear was all-pervasive and the sense of danger was in everyone’s psyche.

To this background, Jennie Godfrey has set an enthralling narrative and one that drew me in before I even started. Like the main character of the book I too was a young girl growing up in Yorkshire at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper murders, experiencing the dark fearful clouds of his existence, the worry of parents, avidly following the news. Unlike the character of the book I at no time thought to try and capture the murderer. This is exactly what young Miv sets out to do, with the aid of her friend Sharon.

In ‘The List of Suspicious Things’ twelve-year-old Miv instantly catches the reader’s attention and never lets it go. Her family life, described with wonderful and memorable ‘70s detail, is askew after her mother suddenly stopped talking and her Aunt Jean moved into the home. Aunt Jean is a typical no -fuss-no-frills woman, outspoken, only to be listened to, she is never afraid to give her opinion on everything and everyone! It is not long before her aunt starts whispering to her father that they need to move away to safety – away from the Yorkshire Ripper.

Overhearing this, Miv, who is a determined and clever girl yet full of self-doubt, comes up with the idea for her and Sharon, to discover the identity of the Yorkshire Ripper and ensure she does not have to move away. The idea of ‘The List of Suspicious Things’ is born. After all, Miv has a huge interest in detective stories, TV shows and films!

Above all else, it is the grit and determination of the main characters and those around them who sweep the reader up and take us into the mindset of their lives.

The girls slowly add names to the list and it weaves an incredibly moving and dramatic cycle of secrets of those in the community and it touches upon themes especially far-reaching at the time. A recently bereaved Pakistani father, Omar, opens a shop in the area and his young son, in the same year as Miv and Sharon soon become friends and they see exactly the racial hatred that the father and son endure daily, a hatred that later plays a key role in the novel. A young librarian, Helen, helping the girls source documents for their research becomes a friend and they worry at her ‘accident-prone’ nature and ‘over-protective’ husband. A young girl comes to them for help as she is frightened by the choir teacher and his fondness for tickling.

These are but a few of the characters and themes explored in the book. The other characters feature in their own right with sections in the third person of some of them while the first-person narrative from Miv runs throughout the book. The combination is a powerful, warm and fully immersive novel which gripped my attention, the various aspects becoming intertwined. Ultimately Miv and Sharon can help some people on the list, others sadly not.

All the time, the biggest secret of all, remains unmentioned – why did Miv’s mother fall silent? Will Miv ever learn the reason for her mother’s withdrawal into herself?

As one name of a suspect is added to the list, and then crossed off, Miv becomes closer to finding the Yorkshire Ripper than she ever imagined.

The final chapters of the book are riveting, heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Jennie Godfrey writes with a deft and exact touch, ensuring the voice of young Miv is a driving force, allowing us to see her grow through the months as her understanding of the adult world deepens and reminding the reader of the depth of emotions and knowledge of young people.

Although I am aware that I could be slightly biased towards the book owing to my experience of this era I honestly believe this is a superbly crafted novel with characters galore to win your heart (or to detest in some cases!) as well as an engaging and unique story. A book that reminds us all of the secret lives of all those around us, even of those closest to us and the pain these secrets can cause oneself and loved ones.