Not Thomas

Tomos is five and lives with his mother, and sometimes her boyfriend. He longs to return to another place, a place he thinks of as home. Then, the difficult things come to a head - there are men outside who want to come in, and his mum has said not to answer the door. From behind his chair, Tomos waits, trying to make himself small and quiet.

About the Author :
Sara Gethin is a pen name of Wendy White. She grew up in Llanelli and studied theology and philosophy at Lampeter. Her working life has revolved around children - she's been a childminder, an assistant in a children's library and a primary school teacher. She also writes children's books as Wendy White, and her first, Welsh Cakes and Custard, won the Tir nan-Og Award in 2014.

Review :
Not Thomas is childrens author Wendy Whites first novel for adults, written under the pen name of Sara Gethin. In it, Gethin draws on her extensive experience of working with children as a childminder, library assistant and primary school teacher to tell a chilling tale of violence and abuse in the voice of five-year-old Tomos. The violence is mostly suggested rather than graphically described, and the dark story is shot through with shadow and light, with the hope of redemption and a better future. Rhiannon or Ree, as she prefers to be called is a young single mother who isnt coping. Initially, she and Tomos lived with her foster parents, Nanno and Dat, but Nanno has died and Ree has fallen out with Dat, so she and Tomos are alone, apart from Rees dodgy boyfriend Brick, and occasional visits by the sinister Fly and Psycho. There is rarely any food in the house, and Tomos lives mostly on a diet of crisps. He and his clothes are unwashed. The house is dirty. Ree drinks and has a liking for coke (not the stuff that comes in bottles). Sometimes her words are all slidey, come out messy, are slippy. And she has a constant refrain: stupid kid. Its such a normal statement of fact that it doesnt even merit an exclamation mark. Yet Tomos is a gorgeous child. He is gentle and kind, not yet warped by the treatment he receives and the appalling adult behaviour around him. He loves his Mammy, and he misses Nanno and Dat. He is the innocent, who sees everything but understands nothing. After all, he is only five Meanwhile, the curtain-twitching neighbours are turning a blind eye, also seeing everything, but saying nothing. Its not their business. They dont want to be involved. Miss, his new schoolteacher, however, is keeping a watchful eye on Tomos. She finds clean clothes for him in lost property, and asks him to help her eat her lunchtime sandwiches, because her husband always makes too many for her. But in doing so she is effectively concealing the truth from Tomoss social workers, who now see a child who is clean and clearly well-fed, and who therefore believe that all is well. So Miss is kind, but wrong-thinking, and an already dangerous situation spirals out of control. Not Thomas makes for a gripping read, but some readers will find it distressing, and the publishers have very sensibly provided contact details for helplines at the end. Suzy Ceulan Hughes It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.