Lenny

In the Ubari Sand Sea in 2011, during the First Libyan Civil War, a mysterious pilot falls from the sky – a sky devil – and is forever changed by the little boy who rescues him.

One year later, in the town of Roseville, Louisiana, in the aftermath of economic crisis and corporate environmental damage, 10-year-old Lenny Lockhart is losing the people and things dearest to him. His only friends now are his plucky, elderly neighbour, Miss Julie, and the town's lonely librarian, Lucy Albert. Homeless and neglected, Lenny heads deep into the dark and unpredictable bayou, determined to conquer the sinkhole that is threatening to swallow his town. As time seems to be simultaneously slowing down and running out, is it really Lenny who needs saving, or the broken adults in his life?

As these two timelines converge, Lenny tells a deeply affecting story of family and love, the ways we can be kind, and the power of one boy's imagination to heal and survive.



LAURA McVEIGH grew up in Northern Ireland and currently lives in London and Mallorca with her family. Her 2017 debut novel, Under the Almond Tree, was published by John Murray Press (Two Roads) and internationally in ten territories. She read Modern & Medieval Languages at Cambridge University after which she worked in publishing, human rights and the charity sector. Lenny, Laura's second book, was shortlisted in Hollywood's Cinematic Book Contest.



@lcmcveigh

lauramcveigh.com






Lenny  is a beautiful novel that beguiles the reader with its cast of characters, damaged, quirky and full of humanity, its deep sense of place and connections to a wider universe. Laura McVeigh’s writing is a luminous and sharply observed depiction of loneliness and the redemptive power of love. The little boy, Lenny, a sensitive and complex literary creation, continues to shine long after the novel ends.






'You know when a character comes along in a novel and you just instantly fall in love with them, a character who feels insistently real and in need of a hug? Well, say hello to Lenny Lockhart.'



'McVeigh exemplifies the breadth of talent that's emerging… Lenny pulls on our heart strings … nuanced … impressive … unexpected … it shapeshifts and time warps, bringing into question our understanding of narrative, space, time.'



'Beautiful novel… an enchanting read'



'Remarkable novel – Lenny…the boy who will break your heart'



'With this marvellous novel…be prepared to cancel your plans for the rest of the evening'