First Impressions

This week's competition, to identify a book from its opening sentence, is from a novel about the Fenlands:

"And don't forget," my father would say, as if he expected me at any moment to up and leave to seek my fortune in the wide world, "whatever you learn about people, however bad they turn out, each one of them has a heart, and each one of them was once a tiny baby sucking his mother's milk..."

* Entries, including postal address, should be sent to First Impressions, The Times Higher , Admiral House, 66-68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1BX, faxed to 020 7782 3300 or emailed to theschat@thes.co.uk

The winner receives a £25 book voucher. The closing date is October 16.

Last week's winner, who identified V. S. Naipaul's Among the Believers , An Islamic Journey , was Paul Twigger of Liverpool John Moores University.

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