Clean Break (novel)

Clean Break
Author(s)	Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrator	Nick Sharratt
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children's novel
Publisher	Doubleday
Publication date	21 March 2005
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	169
ISBN	0-385-60835-7

Clean Break is a children's novel by Jaqueline Wilson, first published in Britain in 2005. It deals with the consequences of a father abandoning his family.

Plot summary

The main character is a young girl called Emily, or Emerald to her dad, who lives with her mum Julie, her dad Frankie, her sister Vita and her brother Maxie in their grandmother Ellen's house. Although her dad is technically only her stepdad, Em and her siblings all love him completely. Emily is quite on the large side, and is very insecure about her weight. On Christmas Day Em overhears a conversation her dad is having on the phone and realises that he is having a secret affair. Emily confronts her father, and he owns up to his cheating, and by the next morning he has left. After Emily's step-dad walks out, the rest of the family struggle to get along without him. Emily takes up swimming, where she becomes more fit, loses weight and gains confidence within herself. The children go and visit Frankie at the home of his new partner Sarah, but she is rude, selfish and obnoxious. On a visit they take to a park, Em, Vita and Maxie are astounded to find their Dad passionately kissing Sarah, in a way that he would never do to their mum. is an aspiring actress and both she and Frankie move to Scotland quite soon into their relationship. When they arrive home, they all reject their Dad's goodbyes. The children all tell their mother that Sarah and their Dad don't get on very well, and will be home soon. Their Mum is quite depressed, and dependent on Frankie for emotional support. Their grandmother does not understand how much the family all love him and would take him back if he ever returned. Em's Gran decides to take them on a holiday and gets a boyfriend herself. When Emily travels to London to meet her favourite author, the family runs into Frankie again, as he has apparently broken up with Sarah and found a new girlfriend, Hannah, before moving back to London. The story ends on Christmas Eve just under one year after Frankie left. It is implied that he returns to the family.

External links

• 'The ring cycle revisited' Review by Kate Kellaway, The Observer, Sunday March 27, 2005