Matt Whyman - The Savages

Once, when the pair opted for the sandwich shop, they spotted a guy with a hoodie and an early stage beard who was also interviewed during the investigation, and came out with his reputation intact. Neither knew what Ralph had meant to Sasha, but they could appreciate what she saw in him. Watching him select a humous, rocket and chickpea on wholemeal, only to switch it for a bacon, lettuce and tomato on white, Maisy joked that he’d probably opted for the meat in memory of what was missing from his life. Faria wondered out loud, a little too noisily for Maisy’s liking, whether Sasha might secretly be in touch, but the pair weren’t brave enough to approach Ralph and ask. Instead, they figured that even if he was in possession of that kind of information, he didn’t look the sort who would betray her. Both Maisy and Faria treated the encounter as a bit of a giggle, and indeed it’s clear the two friends are determined not to let the Savage saga overshadow their future. Still, you only have to look at the sheer number of people who follow the pair on Twitter to recognise how hard this will be for them. As the majority are strangers, it’s clear their lives have been opened up to the world forever by Sasha and her infamous family.

From time to time, when curiosity gets the better of them, the girls scroll through their followers, and wonder which one their friend has created as cover. It’s just a feeling, they say, and joke that’s how it must be for antelope on the plains. Then the laughter trails away, for both remain convinced that Sasha and her siblings, as well as her parents and grandfather, aren’t just watching but working up an appetite. At any time and place, so they believe, and possibly with new recruits to their cause, the Savages will return from the wild.

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I was serving tea to my children when I came up with the idea for this novel. We were tightening our belts on the budget front, and I’d worked out that it would be cheaper to cut the meat from their diets. Knowing there would be protests – not least on the morality of making this decision on their behalf – I decided to stay quiet. Instead, I bought a vegetarian cookbook, and made a big effort to serve up tasty, nutritious and flesh-free suppers. The result? Rare compliments about my cooking and second helpings all round. It only lasted for a fortnight or so before someone asked out loud when we’d last had bangers and mash, but as a culinary experiment it gave me a great deal of food for thought.

As well as the kids in their role as guinea pigs, I should like to thank my wife, Emma, for her help and support as I cooked up the story. For managing me in different ways, I’m indebted to my literary agent, Philippa Milnes-Smith, her assistant, Holly, all at LAW, as well as Franca Bernatavicius and everyone at ILA. The historian, Roger Moorhouse, graciously helped me with the finer details regarding the Siege of Leningrad, while our sausage dog, Hercules, did little to assist the peace as I worked by barking at every squirrel outside my window.

Finally, I should like to thank my publishers for this opportunity to bring you The Savages. Hot Key Books are new kids on the block, but quickly becoming the coolest. I’ve worked elsewhere with my editor, Emily Thomas, but she really wasn’t expecting this. Even so, she showed great resolve when I first pitched it, and her enthusiasm for the story has been second to none. It’s been great fun working with the whole team, and my wholehearted thanks go out to Sarah Odedina, Georgia Murray, Megan Farr, Kate Manning, Becca Langton, Naomi Colthurst, Jet Purdie, Sara O’Connor, Amy Orringer, Sarah Benton, Cait Davies, Olivia Mead, Ruth Logan, Jan Bielecki, Tristan Hanks and Dominic Saraceno.

Matt Whyman has written widely for adults and teenagers, across a range of subjects, including two recent comic memoirs, My Life with Minipigs and Walking with Sausage Dogs . He is married with four children and lives in West Sussex, UK.

Find out more about Matt at www.mattwhyman.comand on Twitter: @MattWhyman

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Hot Key Books

Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0AT

Text copyright ©Matt Whyman 2013

Cover illustration copyright © Jason Chan 2013

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-4714-0039-1

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