On Romford Road is Andrew Sanger's fifth novel and a family saga and revenge drama about two East London families whose feud carries from the 1900s to the 1990s.
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| Book cover |
This is the story of two warring London families which spans four generations. It’s set in and around what is now the London Borough of Newham including my home in Forest Gate.
Strong female characters; Harriet, Maud, Elizabeth and Alex lives guide the reader through the social history of the 20th century. A violent family feud beginning just after the turn of the 20th century continues to impact upon these women’s lives as the years go by and each new generation is affected.
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| Former Princess Alice pub, one of many local drinking holes to feature in the novel |
Although the world is changing, the ghost of the feud continues to haunt the women and the two families as chance meetings and relationships always lead back to the fateful, violent day in 1910!
Personally, I really enjoyed the book. Its local place references fire my imagination and make the story almost real for me . I imagined and visualised the chance meetings in local parks and the homes of the characters.
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| Former synagogue on Earlham Grove, one of many local landmarks to feature in the novel |
The ‘strong women’ theme leaps out through the four heroines and most of all through Maud’s character. Rattling through the working-class social history of the 20th century also had me engrossed, given my interest in family history.
The reader is ‘thrust’ straight into the drama and characters as the story begins. I thought that perhaps a slightly more developed character would have provided a deeper understanding of each woman.
Overall, I found the book to be an absolute page-turner and very enjoyable. This story would certainly make a popular TV drama, a bit like Peaky Blinders, so come on, Netflix …..
I give it 9/10 enjoyment factor. I hope fellow Forest Gate residents will enjoy it too.
Footnotes
1. Why Romford Road? Although Andrew was born in west London, his wife was born in Forest Gate and brought up on Sixth Avenue, Manor Park. His son and girlfriend have recently moved into Forest Gate. So, the road runs through his family's life story.
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| Author, Andrew Sanger |
He writes: "Essentially the story I wanted to write was about social mobility and social change. To my mind, the central character is really Maud, who is in every chapter and witnesses all the changes that occur over four generations."
2. Buying the book. On Romford Road, by Andrew Sanger (Focus Books, 2025, ISBN 9780955820182) is available as a paperback (£9.99) and e.book (£2.99), from all good outlets.
