The See-Through House

My Father in Full Colour

Shelley Klein

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Paperback

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QTY:

English

Vintage
28 September 2021

Individual architects & architectural firms; Houses, apartments, flats, units; Memoirs; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Needlework & fabric crafts

A daughter's moving farewell to her father and their extraordinary family home

'A charming account of a daughter, a house and a fastidious dad' Sunday Times

Shelley Klein grew up in the Scottish Borders, in a house designed on a modernist open-plan grid. With colourful glass panels set against a forest of trees, it was like living in a work of art. Her father, Bernat Klein, was a textile designer whose pioneering colours and textures were a major contribution to 1960s and 70s style.

Thirty years on, Shelley moves back home to care for her father, now in his eighties- the house has not changed and neither has his uncompromising vision - or his distinctive way of looking at the world. Told with great tenderness and humour, this is Shelley's account of looking after an adored yet maddening parent and a piercing portrait of the grief that followed his death.

'A sad, funny, utterly fascinating book about families, home and how to say goodbye' Mark Haddon

'Original, moving and bracingly honest... often hilarious' Blake Morrison, Guardian

'It is strange that grief should produce such a life-affirming book, but it has. Read it for the solace it contains, or for its captivating descriptions. Either way, it's a delight' Telegraph

By: Shelley Klein
Imprint: Vintage
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 318g
ISBN: 9781529111545
ISBN 10: 1529111544
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 28 September 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Shelley Klein was born in Scotland in 1963, the youngest daughter of textile designer Bernat and knitwear designer Margaret Klein. She left the See-Through House in 2017 and now lives in London where she works as a writer.

Reviews for The See-Through House: My Father in Full Colour

A sad, funny, utterly fascinating book about families, home and how to say goodbye -- Mark Haddon [A] finespun, magical new grief memoir... a beautifully structured book... Klein is a witty observer, even in the case of her own sorrow, which she rifles through and puzzles over with wry candour. Desolation and humour are expertly balanced throughout... I suppose it is strange that grief should produce such a life-affirming book, but it has. Read it for the solace it contains, or for its captivating descriptions. Either way, it's a delight. -- Lucy Davies * The Telegraph * A luminous book, full of light and colour, and a remarkable reflection on childhood and untold stories -- Edmund de Waal Original, moving and bracingly honest... often hilarious... Each room has particular memories for Klein. And her journey through them is also a psychological quest, an attempt to understand how the house shaped her personality and whether she can ever get free of her attachment -- Blake Morrison * Guardian * Enthralling... a fascinating exploration of the influence of a domestic setting on mind and spirit, as well as of a fraught father-daughter relationship -- Christina Hardyment * The Times *