Leamington counsellor for refugees and asylum seekers publishes latest fiction novel which explores a cross-cultural relationship

A Leamington author and counsellor for refugees and asylum seekers has told the story of a fictional cross-cultural, fractured relationship in her latest novel.

Pauline Crame's Song in the Key of Madeleine is the story of the relationship between Madeleine and Shibu - two individuals from very different backgrounds.

They meet when Shibu moves into Madeleine’s house as her lodger. From the start it is clear they are attracted to each other, and soon they begin an affair. Before long, however, their burgeoning relationship is tarnished, as Shibu’s religious beliefs and cultural expectations begin to clash with Madeleine’s troubled past.

The relationship offers the opportunity for growth and new beginnings but it is also fraught with danger.

Pauline said: "Is a person’s character inherited through genes, learned through lived experience, or a combination of both?

"After experiencing a significant loss of my own and meeting clients from a range of cultures as a trained counsellor, my interest in how cultural expectations and psychology interact developed into the basis for this book.”

Pauline was born in Wiltshire but now lives in Leamington.

She has a degree in applied social science and for many years worked with learning disabled children and adults.

Pauline has completed three novels, two of which have been shortlisted for national prizes.

The Affairs Of Gods And Men was shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary in 2012 and Song In The Key of Madeleine was on the list for the Yeovil Prize in 2013 before it was published this summer.

Her first novel, Bursting The Bubble, was read and critiqued by Faye Weldon CBE.

Song In The Key of Madeleine can be bought from Waterstones, Blackwells, Amazon and eBay.