To The Last Page

Soho in London is famous for its colourful character and Fiona Mozley certainly manages to show a good cross-section of that in her latest novel Hot Stew . It follows the fortunes of a very diverse selection of characters who interact only peripherally with one another, which is perhaps a fairly accurate way of describing how those of different classes, races and sexual orientation all interact in the real world. They are however all part of the complex ecosystem of life interaction as it operates in Soho. Or perhaps fails to operate as, like anywhere in London, population shifts and business ventures change quickly and often and the old ways of operating might no longer be fit for purpose. Certainly “the oldest profession” is struggling to maintain its traditional presence in the district. One of the central characters, Precious, a young black woman who work in the sex industry there, decides to put up a fight against the rent increases that are being imposed as a way to force her and...