Gill Oliver
ALLi Author Member
Location: United Kingdom
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Humour & Satire
I was born in Liverpool, so I grew up with the belief that you could laugh at just about anything, starting with yourself. Too much Chekhov at an early age meant I ended up studying Modern Languages instead of Eng Lit. The downside to this was that I didn’t mix with other writers – I don’t even remember telling anybody that I wanted to write myself. And the greats were just so… great. Whatever I wanted to achieve, some genius had got there first! Hmm. So, like many women of my generation, I talked myself out of writing. Finding a local writing group was a game changer. Three novels later I'm still exploring the contemporary world, and issues that delight or confuse or worry me, or that make me laugh. In reflecting on the present, we help shape the future. There’s a great deal of beauty in the world and its people, and a wonderful music in the many ways we talk. I love language and want every book, every story, every poem to have its own linguistic texture. The performer in me has taken easily to audio recording, and now that I've completed a few stories, the next project is to narrate a novel. In the real world, you might bump into me on my way to choir practice, or mooching round an exhibition or a garden.
Gill Oliver's books
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
Beth and Alice are twins whose musical journeys have taken them in separate directions, and who now long to work together again - the search for harmony and the challenge of unison underpin the novel. Learning to pitch their voices in a noisy world, the sisters hit keynotes for today - why you should be careful what you say, and why you should say what you think, how to mess up, and how to apologise - while a wide range of characters from different cultural tribes stumble around in search of what connects them. Set in Liverpool in the months leading up to lockdown, a joyous, thoughtful story which celebrates the author’s passion for choral music-making.
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Humour & Satire
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Serious comedy, fuel for the heart. Joe Faber is a funny guy, good with his hands, and great with words – until the stroke which leaves him severely disabled. But this is more than his story. There’s Fran, Joe’s wife, who draws up her manifesto and decides to act like an optimist; she hasn’t planned to be a carer. Their talented daughter Jess, who turns her trouble into music. And Jess’s fiancé Matt, the management trainer, innocent, positive and daft, who’ll do his best to keep them all on target. Art School training made Joe a close observer of the world, but once he leaves hospital, how does the world see him? And care is erratic. So will Fran have to give up the job she loves? Can Matt’s energetic but insensitive sister be trusted to organise the wedding? There’s heartbreak and absurdity along the way; but humour is the...
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Martin’s office door was supposed to be shut, because it was a fire door. It was also supposed to be open, because he was a man. Mr Harper is one of those teachers who hasn’t much time for rules; besides, he has other things on his mind. Overwhelming grief for the loss of his wife is tainted by guilt and jealousy, and this easy-going, clever guy is, as the kids say, losing it. Enter Wendy Mundy, funny name, funny looks, a feisty seventeen year old who knows about bereavement. This is the one innocent relationship in a world where risks are seen round every corner and rumour is easily traded. From estuary Essex to the sunshine of Campania, A Backward Glance asks how, today, we should honour the dead. A story told with warmth and humour which gives us all permission to care.