Kit de Waal

Presented by James Naughtie, BBC Radio 4's Bookclub, speaks to the award-winning writer Kit de Waal about her heart-rending debut novel, My Name Is Leon. Published in 2016 by Penguin it's the story of two brothers separated after one is adopted. The book, now taught on the curriculum in English schools, takes us back to 1980s Birmingham, and while brothers Leon and Jake share the same mother, Carol, their futures look very different. Jake is adopted, while Leon remains in foster care. The story follows Leon over the course of one difficult year in his life, and when he's given a bike it opens up his horizons. He often goes to the local allotments, where he meets the characters of Mr Devlin and Tufty, and sees a different slice of life. This recording takes place at the Rare Birds Bookshop in Edinburgh. Producer: Dominic Howell Editor: Gillian Wheelan This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

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Kit de Waal is an episode from Bookclub by BBC.

This episode is 28:40 long.

This episode was published on Aug 3, 2025.

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