Reading in the Dark, by Seamus Deane (Cape, £13.99 in UK), is one of those books which you will want to keep for yourself and not lend out to friends. It is a wonderful story told by a young boy who lives in a closely knit community in Derry during the 1940s and 1950s. As each chapter progresses, family secrets and lies are unravelled. The adults show a lack of compassion and understanding towards each other. The only sane and level-headed ones are the children who seem to have more awareness than their elders. It is superbly written, warm and poignant. I felt I knew Derry and its back streets by the end of the book.