Gloria Doesn’t Speak by Lucy Apps Review – A Tender Portrait of a Woman with Learning Disabilities | books

toucy Apps’ debut novel tells the story of 19-year-old Gloria, who lives in east London with her mother in the summer of 1999. Gloria has learning difficulties and is past the age at which the state can support her. She’s often happy enough to “stop outside where it’s nice and busy, watch things happen and be a part of it.”

But sometimes people steal her, or shout abuse at her. She then has a “heavy feeling inside” because she has no choice but to “wander through the parks and streets alone trying not to attract too much attention.” As she develops a friendship with Jack, she is happy because: “He has no one to talk to and she has no one to listen to, so they can fit together.”

Gloria just wants to eat chips or drink a Coke at a bar, but Jack often talks loudly about the end of the world. “He’s waiting for summer to end, waiting for the city to come out, and counting down to zero.” For Jack, the appeal of Gloria is that he can do whatever he wants with her. Obviously, he may not be motivated by sex, but he definitely craves control.

Apps did not set herself an easy task in writing this novel. How can you show Gloria’s limited view of the world without making the book itself simplistic? At first, the text seems a bit jarring. The sentences are short and simple in structure. Apps chose the third person, but the text often seems to shift toward the third person.

The constant use of “don’t” instead of “don’t” is distracting, and at times the reader has difficulty distinguishing between what the narrator is saying and what is free, indirect speech emanating from within Gloria. However, as the narrative develops, these initial obstacles dissolve. We understand that for Gloria language is less about meaning and more about finding comfort in rhythm and pattern. (“Error in this, error in that.”)

Moments of beauty also elevate the experience, giving the reader a wonderful sense of the streetscapes of East London. Gloria experiences much of the world in terms of feel and style, and Apps cleverly uses this lens to capture the small details that bring the wider world into sharp focus.

Despite the narrow point of view, the secondary characters are engaging. Gloria’s mother is doing her best, but when she is at work all day how can she supervise her daughter? Tyrone, Gloria’s caregiver in the latter part of the book, is firm and patient. He wants (and deserves) the time and a half to spend a terrible night searching for her, but he is also motivated by genuine concern and compassion.

When Jack commits a terrible crime, Gloria is asked to provide evidence. In the court proceedings, Gloria makes sure she will not confront Jack. The tragedy is that she actually wants to see him, because even though she understands his crime, she still just wants to have a friend. Memories of violence have left her traumatized, but talk therapies that might help others don’t work for her.

This is a carefully structured novel that grows in impact and tension. Gentle, sweet and unsettling, it takes us inside the life of someone whose world is generally closed to us. The ending of the book is heartbreaking because it emphasizes how little Gloria’s needs are. The applications are not deliberately intended to raise any broader societal point within the close focus of this novel. But the reader, naturally, wonders why our society is so fast-paced and fragmented that no one has time for Gloria—even though all she needs is a little kindness and company.

Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps is published by Weatherglass (£12.99). To support The Guardian, order your copy from guardianbookshop.com. Delivery fees may apply.