The flat was large on the inside, stretching further back than the outside had suggested and containing a decent-sized living room and gigantic kitchen. We passed Sarah’s room, which was towards the front of the flat, and walked the full length of the hall to Suzanne’s, which was tucked away like an afterthought next to the bathroom.
Suzanne’s room was much smaller than I’d expected, with a sloping ceiling and hanging fairy lights that made the whole room feel more like a fort. Almost every inch of the walls was covered not just with photos, like in my room, but with posters and magazine clippings and postcards and scraps of newspaper. Post-it notes were stuck haphazardly over the cracks between the paraphernalia, and when I looked closely I saw they each contained scribbles in Suzanne’s handwriting. Poetry, maybe? Song lyrics?
‘Wow,’ Rosie said, taking it in. ‘This is . . . busy.’
‘Bare walls make me nervous,’ Suzanne said casually, hopping on to her bed and sitting up on her crossed ankles.
The only thing left bare in the room was the window, looking out on to the garden. Even the windowsill was empty. Seeing me looking, Suzanne shrugged and said, ‘Always leave an exit clear.’ I couldn’t tell if she was kidding.
‘Didn’t this take ages?’ Rosie asked, still looking around.
I knew what she meant. The display looked like the kind you’d expect to have been built up over several years. Suzanne had only had about two months.
‘Yeah, but I did it when I first got here. School hadn’t started and I didn’t know anyone, and it was like a project for a couple of weeks. Kept me busy.’ She was still smiling, but there was a touch of anxiety on her face. ‘Maybe it’s a bit much, but I like it. Always have something to look at, you know?’
‘I think it’s great,’ I said, meaning it.
Suzanne beamed at me. ‘Sarah says it gives her a headache, so she stays out. Though she was the one who got me the Calvin and Hobbes prints.’ She pointed to a large spot above the chest of drawers, plastered over with comic strips.
‘You like Marilyn Monroe?’ Rosie was looking at a black-and-white portrait of the actress I hadn’t noticed. I realized there were postcard-sized replicas of old posters of some of her films dotted around the walls.
‘I love her,’ Suzanne replied.
‘Wow, I had no idea you were such a cliché.’ Rosie softened this remark by flashing Suzanne a mischievous grin over her shoulder.
‘There are worse things to be,’ Suzanne said with a shrug, smiling. ‘I just think she was amazing. Do you know anything about her except her being a sex symbol? She had a really hard time, but she still became this icon.’
‘A sex icon,’ Rosie pointed out flatly.
Suzanne rolled her eyes. ‘You should read up a bit on her – you’d probably be surprised. Oh! We should watch one of her films!’
I drifted out of the conversation, knowing Rosie would never agree to spend her evening watching an old film from the 1950s, and looked at Suzanne’s mirror. It was almost full-length and bordered with photos and handwritten lists. I leaned closer to read one of them.
Brighton Rock
aka My Sister Moved To Brighton And All I Gave Her Was This Lousy Playlist
1) Seaside Shuffle – Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs
2) End of the Season – The Kinks
3) Seaside – The Kooks
4) Waiting For The 7.18 – Bloc Party
5) Pinball Wizard – The Who
6) Brighton Rock – Elastica
7) Green Eyes – Suggs
8) Rumble in Brighton – The Stray Cats
9) Brighton Rock – Queen (NOT THE SAME SONG, DON’T SKIP!)
10) The Sea – Morcheeba (Apparently this song is about Brighton – who knew!)
11) You’re Not from Brighton – Fatboy Slim
Bonus
12) Holes – Passenger
I’d lived in Brighton all my life, and I hadn’t heard of some of the songs. I pulled out my phone and took a picture so I could look them up when I got home. Rosie and Suzanne were still sparring over what film they should watch – ‘Some Like It Hot is a classic!’ – so I glanced over a few more of the photos and playlists.
Hey Suze, Don’t Get the Blues
aka Cheerful Songs For Sadful Days
1) The Life of Riley – The Lightning Seeds
2) Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
3) Simple Song – The Shins
4) It’s Time – Imagine Dragons
5) So Alive – Ryan Adams
6) Smile – The Supernaturals
7) The Diamond Church Street Choir – The Gaslight Anthem
8) Fascinating New Thing – Semisonic
9) Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder
10) Get Rhythm – Johnny Cash
11) Itchycoo Park – Small Faces
12) I’m a Cuckoo – Belle & Sebastian
13) Marvellous – The Lightning Seeds
There was a cartoon of a duck wearing headphones in the bottom right-hand corner of this one. On another list – Our Humble Beginnings, aka Look At All The Great Music Manchester Has Given The World – the same duck was smoking a cigarette. I looked for the duck on another list and finally found him partially hidden by a photo of two children – presumably Suzanne and Brian – on a beach. The duck’s head in this one was bandaged. This playlist was named And Sometimes They Write Songs, aka Survivors Come In All Shapes And Guises.
‘Did your brother write all of these?’ I asked, turning my head towards Suzanne and gesturing at the mirror.