The Colour of Rain

First published in 1963 under the pen name of Catherine Aydy, this is Tennant’s first novel. It recounts episodes in the lives of a group of privileged, empty people. It is a soap opera of childish adults, moving from one diversion to the next, pretending to be civilised. But their constructed world is fragile. It might be self-supporting, but it is obvious how easily it can break or dissolve.

Told largely through dialogue and a brittle prose that reflects the lives of its characters, this is an intriguing novel. It records a very exciting time in British history – when children stopped dressing like their parents, when music would influence an entire generation – the incredible cultural phenomenon of the 1960s.