Sadly I ended up being quite bored by this story. I thought I was going to be more invested than I was. I just couldn't find myself connecting with the author's character and unfortunately I DNF'd the book at 60%.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #HodderandStoughton for granting me access to this arc for an honest review.

Natasha Carthew lifts the lid on what it's like to live in semi-rural Cornwall on a low income. She thrives on her love of nature and close proximity to the sea.
In the background, she dwells on her difficult childhood, raised by her mother with an absent father. At times, this is a moving account of a family holding on, to survive together.
Each chapter raises different issues of living in poverty in a deprived, rural community. Some parts make for difficult reading but Carthew should be heeded. She makes valid points on isolation, loneliness, lack of opportunities, alcohol/drug abuse and the impacts these issues have on health and wellbeing.

It's a necessary read to comprehend the numerous issues that affect our contemporary society. We need to know why poverty exists and how to create a society that is fair for all.

Highly recommended.

There's the Cornwall that you or I might see as tourists and then there's the "real" Cornwall that's behind the beaches, luxury second homes etc.

Although Natasha is brought up by a loving mother in a close knit community, her life is blighted and she experiences trauma as a result of her Dad leaving with the emotional and financial results you might expect.

Opportunities educationally and recreationally are very limited so many young people turn to alcohol and drugs. This is exacerbated by the deep division between the locals and the emmets (incoming tourists). The divide is deepened by the pandemic as more people move to Cornwall to Work From Home putting added pressure on the already limited housing stock.
Natasha is deeply bound to her native Cornwall by her affinity with nature and the sea. This is fundamental in her growing up and coming of age.
Each chapter highlights a different aspect of how it is to be raised and live in poverty from sharing beds to limited career prospects and it is emphasised that poverty marks you indelibly for the rest of your life.

It highlights many of Cornwall's problems but also its intrinsic character moulded by its past, its unique qualities and its wild beauty.

It certainly chimes with the ambiguous relationship you can have with the place of your birth as described by friends who come from Cornwall.

It's a coming of age book that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of living in poverty. Its important that we hear different voices and that of the rural poor isn't always heard.

A very powerful and gripping story that is difficult to read in some parts but worth sticking with. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I also grew up in a deprived area of Cornwall and have had similar, conflicting thoughts on both the area and my own experiences. So I was looking forward to reading this memoir, after enjoying All Rivers Run Free.

Carthew's voice is unique. Awash with metaphor, linking her own life to the often unforgiving elements of nature around her, it is perfect for novel writing and I enjoyed hearing it here as non-fiction.

I agree that her tone sometimes comes across as bitter, but after growing up through such trauma and 'otherness', I think it's a perfect truth. I loved the 'bullying' houses that obviously no local can afford.

I'm sure that Carthew will continue to elevate raising working class voices through promotion of this book. And hope she is writing another novel!

Natasha Carthew was born into poverty in a picture postcard Cornish village. This is a savage, visceral read as she rails against the economic climate and in particular second home owners who have condemned rural communities in parts of Cornwall to virtual ghettos of dead end jobs and bleak winters.

Her father was unreliable to say the least, moving upstairs with a girlfriend at one point. Finally freed of him, Natasha's mother moved her two daughters into a row of terraced houses which were looked down upon by the wealthier residents of Seaton.

Carthew was possessive of the beach and shore, finding beauty in the wonders of nature. Her writing is quite spell binding as she describes the hold the sea has on her, and the way it shapes the landscape.

It's a redemptive story. Carthew is committed to making art, despite her disadvantages, and it's a rallying cry to those who grew up pushed to the margins. Published on 13 April. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

I read this book immediately following another memoir of an author. That book was inspiring, detailing lots of difficult scenarios but always with a positive, hopeful outlook. This book wasn't like that. The whole 'undercurrent' was negative and bitter in my opinion. It's tricky, because the author's story is an important part of our society today. I love Cornwall, but you can't fail to notice the poverty as you drive through the towns and villages. It is a sad fact that housing has been snapped up for second homes, pushing house prices up and leaving the locals unable to afford housing in the area they grew up. This needs to be written about, but it isn't unique to Cornwall, it is happening in other areas of our country too.

I also felt that the author was trying to say that only in rural areas are children and teenagers denied facilities and opportunities for activities outside of school. But that isn't the case either. There are plenty of children in cities who lack the stimulation of anything other than home and school, for a variety of reasons.

So my rating for this book was three star because I felt it lacked balance. I am one of the 'emmetts' described in the narrative - a tourist who frequently returns to the area. I like to think that by visiting and holidaying there I am contributing to the local economy. There must be something positive to say about this surely?

Finally, the importance of poetry to the author was a repeating theme throughout. It would have been lovely to have snippets or even whole poems added at intervals throughout the book. But there are none - what a shame.

This book is a brutally honest account of the author's difficult time during her childhood and teenage years. It is reasonably well written but I wish the love for nature and Cornwall were a more prominent theme.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'Undercurrent' does not make for easy reading, whether there is trauma in your past or not. It is dark, shot through with beams of light and softness.

The memoir focuses on Carthew's childhood and teenagehood. Among its powerful themes are an abusive and mostly absent father, being queer in an environment hostile to difference, poverty, and the bonds of female community. The author does not romanticise the Cornish countryside of her home; at times she revels in it, and at others, she seems to reject it.

Scattered between the recollections of Carthew's youth are brief and highly salient sections on the state of poverty in Cornwall and other rural places; unsurprisingly, many metrics of deprivation have worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic, especially when it comes to the health and wellbeing of children. This is a book that exemplifies what 'lived experience' really means.

If I had to make one criticism, it would be that the language is repetitive in places, with the author frequently talking about her own wildness. But there is an honesty to her writing. It is uncompromising.

A book that deserves to be read widely.

(With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)