ABSTRACT
Maggie Gee’s The White Family is a condition-of-England novel set in
Hillesden Rise, a fictitious part of London. Through Alfred White, the
keeper of Albion Park, his wife May, and their children Darren, Shirley
and Dirk, the novel explores themes from racist violence and interracial
relationships to black homophobia and friction between African and West
Indian, amid urban decline and gentrification. A horrific murder in the
park creates a dilemma between protecting family and upholding values
of justice and fair play.
