The Source by Sarah Sultoon
1996. Essex. Thirteen-year-old schoolgirl Carly lives in a disenfranchised town dominated by a military base, struggling to care for her baby sister while her mum sleeps off another binge. When
her squaddie brother brings food and treats, and offers an exclusive invitation to army parties, things start to look a little less bleak...
2006. London. Junior TV newsroom journalist Marie has spent six months exposing a gang of sex traffickers, but everything is derailed when New Scotland Yard announces the re-opening of Operation Andromeda, the notorious investigation into allegations of sex abuse at an army base a decade earlier.
As the lives of these two characters intertwine around a single, defining event, a series of utterly chilling experiences is revealed, sparking a nail-biting race to find the truth... and justice.
A tense, startling and unforgettable thriller, The Source is a story about survival, about hopes and dreams, about power, abuse and resilience.
About the author.
Sarah Sultoon is a journalist and writer whose work as an international news executive at CNN has taken her all over the world, from the seats of power in both Westminster and Washington to the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in conflict zones, winning three Peabody awards for her work on the war in Syria, an Emmy for her contribution to the coverage of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015, and a number of Royal Television Society gongs. As passionate about fiction as nonfiction, she recently completed a Masters of Studies in Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge, adding to an undergraduate language degree in French and Spanish, and Masters of Philosophy in History, Film and Television. When not reading or writing she can usually be found somewhere outside, either running, swimming or throwing a ball for her three children and dog while she imagines what might happen if
Review
‘The Source’ is an uncompromising, unflinching, uncomfortable and brilliantly astute look at an appalling topic. For this book to come from a debut novelist is outstanding. Her take on characters is unnerving - to see such empathy and understanding made reading this book sublime. Be warned this is a hard topic to internalize, there were times I gasped, cried and just had to put this book down and come back to it later. There are no happy endings in this tale.
‘The Source’ is unfortunately based on real life events which occurred in the UK. It might not have been the army but we have seen institutional abuse, human trafficking, Jimmy Saville and Operation Yewtree, Rotherham and many many more. It’s not a problem which will go away but a lot of it is swept under the carpet in people’s mind and that’s the incorrect response. Books like this gives awareness, teaches people to look out for grooming and behaviours in others. People can be involved and don’t even realise. I can share this story now my father has sadly passed. When we moved to Scarborough when I was five my dad had just retired from the police force with a smashed kneecap. He was driving for a car service in the local area and if you don’t know Scarborough is where Jimmy Saville lived. My dad drove who he thought were competition winners to Saville’s home. Obviously, now we know the real circumstances but it shows how people are deceived and manipulated into ignoring warning bells. ALL the kids in my town knew to stay away from him. Trust your gut. Anyway…..
Sarah has obviously put a lot of research into this book and what shines is Carly’s and Marie’s experiences. As an author she does not hold back. It’s a multifaceted character profile that comes from both girls. One who is struggling in Warchester and having to deal with the grooming and abuse in order to look after her family. The other who is fighting to highlight this topic in the new cycle. These are both bold and brave characters, ones who hold up a mirror to this topic. It’s a gripping book. Harrowing but gripping. It has twists and turn galore to help build up the tension to the crescendo of a truly captivated audience. The empathy that drips from every page makes this tale a passage of love even. It shows that someone cares and will fight for this.
It’s tempting in this world of Covid to want to only deal with happy topics as all our mental health and actual health are suffering. But this book needs to up shouted about, it’s a compelling and urgent issue that needs highlighting and to do so in a novel of this calibre is an achievement that needs to be celebrated. Orenda is a tiny publisher when compared to the giants. They are showing though that all their books are works of gold. I honestly look forward to reading more of her work and I will also be looking out for her media work as well as fiction. This book just needs a round of applause 💜💜💜💜
