The Orchardist - Amanda Coplin

'He had one of those complicated faces that one had to consider at length to understand how emotion lay on it, to understand it at all.'

The setting is north-west America at the beginning of the twentieth century, and William Talmadge, known just as Talmadge, works alone on his remote orchard, having established it with, and then inherited it from, his mother when she passed away. His father had earlier died in a mining accident. Talmadge is ‘a gentle, unassuming orchardist from the mountains’, and his is a peaceful, gentle and fairly solitary life, just occasional visitors like Clee the native American wrangler, and a friend in the town, the midwife and herbalist Caroline Middey, but one day this all changes when two young pregnant girls are seen in the town, stealing his fruit when he is at the market, and then he finds them hiding on his land. He is a kind man, and wants to help them and shield them, realising they are rather wild, in trouble and have been treated harshly in their lives thus far. His sister Elsbeth disappeared some years before and he still feels her absence deeply; 'Talmadge was stuck in grief he only partially acknowledged...the festering issue was Elsbeth's disappearance, which his mind could not accept, could not swallow; and so he suffered always and abstractedly...'

The two girls, Jane and Della, have evidently been ill-treated in their life prior to meeting Talmadge; the men they had been with 'had taught them both that you could read nothing definitive in a man's face, even if he appeared kind. Kind could turn on its head instantly; could throttle you, or hit you across the face with the back of a hand.'

Talmadge’s life is never really quite the same again once he has let the girls into it. With them comes trouble, but also a fatherly affection and concern that drives him to new lengths; before his trees and the produce was all that he nurtured. For him there is the contrast of ‘the happiness of company, the anxiety of interrupted solitude.’

I admit that when I started reading this novel, I was interested but not initially gripped. It is written in a very particular style, with an omniscient narrator recounting the story. The writing is gentle and suits the pace and tone of the story. Once I was beyond about 150 pages though, I found I was really involved with the tale and there was no question that I would put it down then; it grew into an absorbing story and the characters wove their way into my thoughts and touched my heart. Though it is a quiet book in many ways, it contains some shocking, painful and dramatic events. The story spans many years and becomes rather epic in scale.

This is a moving, thoughtful and rather haunting novel. Amanda Coplin tackles some fundamental themes about life in this book, about humans and our purpose. At one stage Della, one of the girls, now older, asks herself ‘Why are we born?...What does it mean to be born? To die?’

Through the story the author comments on the intrusion of the modern world, observing the changes in travel and work, from the wagon to the train and from small to large-scale distribution of the fruit, which seems strange to Talmadge and which he tries to resist.

I’m not sure if my words have done this book justice or conveyed well enough how I felt about it. I will just finish by saying I deeply admired the storytelling, the nuances and the observations on the fragility of life, the details of the landscape and the orchard, and the attempted, well-intentioned heroics of one man who can’t save everyone. I grew more and more entranced by the tale as it went on, and looking back I am very glad to have read it. 

Published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson

The Universe Versus Alex Woods - Gavin Extence

‘…life can seem highly ordered and highly chaotic all at the same time.’

This is such a touching, captivating story with a wonderful narrative voice in Alex. What a marvellous debut novel – it’s funny, brave, sad and original. Gavin Extence doesn’t shy away from handling sensitive, difficult subjects and he does it thoughtfully, with honesty and humour.

The opening is set up to make us wonder at what has gone before, because we meet seventeen-year-old Alex on his way back into the UK, being stopped at Dover by a customs officer who finds some interesting items in Alex’s car, namely 113 grams of marijuana and the ashes of his closest friend, Mr Peterson. Alex then takes us back, recounting the significant and often highly unusual events of his life to date, ultimately looping nicely back at the end of the novel to how he came to be in his present unusual situation. This structure, the bookending of the novel with the present day, and the past sandwiched inbetween, makes the read into a pleasing whole.

Alex has never known his father, and his mother has a somewhat unorthodox career as a clairvoyant, running a shop selling all manner of fortune telling type goods and offering her fortune telling services there. As Alex relates his past, we discover that he suffered an injury in a bizarre accident – struck on the head by a meteorite after it hit his home several years earlier. He has to learn to live with the medical after-effects of this, suffering seizures, and the occurrence also prompts an interest in neurology.

We learn of the cruelty of school bullies singling out Alex for all his differences, and we witness the unlikely yet firm friendship that is formed between Alex and lonely, widowed Vietnam veteran Isaac Peterson, leading to them sharing their love of books; reading has helped Alex in the past, he tells us that when he was physically restricted he could at least allow his brain to explore; there are several literary references such as to Catch 22, but once he meets Mr Peterson, it is primarily Kurt Vonnegut’s novels that are discussed (I haven’t read them, and it didn’t affect my enjoyment, but if you are acquainted with them and/or like them, it will probably increase yours). Their companionship is at the core of the novel, and the bond that grows between them is charming and through it Alex learns that ‘what you think you know about a person is only a fraction of the story.’ They were both lonely in their own ways before they got to know one another, and they each bring a great deal of enjoyment into the life of the other. The journey the two of them embark on is very brave and moving, but you must discover the details of this yourself by reading the book.

Alex has a keen grasp of scientific matters and is very intelligent and really thinks things through, making informed decisions, however sometimes he seems naïve and inexperienced too, and then we remember that he is a teenaged boy, and that despite his maturity and the wisdom he shows, he is still learning about the world and about people. I liked the friendship between Alex and Ellie, and some of the dialogue is really witty and pitch perfect for the characters involved. Another use of language I loved was the description of the ‘death rattles’ of the school bus; ‘it would wheeze and shudder like a giant asthmatic cyborg.’

This is such an involving, enjoyable tale, with a likeable, distinctive young man as the hero. Once I was drawn into the story, I was reluctant to stop reading until I had heard Alex’s entire tale. It’s one of those engaging books that you don’t want to end, and where the narrator is utterly convincing; rather than feeling as though I was reading the author’s words through Alex, I felt I was reading Alex’s story – as a character he became very real. This book will have you thinking about life and death, about luck and fate, and it reminded me of the enjoyment of reading.

I’ll leave the last word to Alex; ‘I think that telling a story is a way of trying to make life’s complexity more comprehensible. It’s a way of trying to separate order from chaos, patterns from pandemonium.’

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

You can find out about @ThingsAlexKnows on twitter.

Under Your Skin - Sabine Durrant

'This is the worst kind of nightmare...'

Lead character and first-person narrator of Under Your Skin, Gaby Mortimer is a well-known television presenter. One morning she is out for a run on the common in the pleasant surrounds near her home in London when she discovers a woman's corpse. She dutifully reports her find to the police and then she expects her life to go on as usual. However, the police seem to think the crime has something to do with her, in fact they seem determined that she is responsible. All of a sudden her life is turned upside down as the investigation progresses. 

I liked the choice of narrator as being Gaby throughout; we experience the dramatic turmoil in her life first-hand as the story develops, bringing us to the heart of everything that happens. The fact that she found this body does not go away, but rather it starts to dominate her life, altering her routine, upsetting her marriage, separating her from her children,  then threatening her job and eventually her freedom. I wasn't sure how much I liked her, or if I trusted her entirely but she was undoubtedly leading an interesting life. There are twists and turns incorporated by the author as the book moves forward, and she does a good job of making you think about things and look twice, with more than one character succeeding in arousing my suspicions and casting doubt on what I thought I knew, and I was certainly turning the pages, eager to discover the outcome. The writer also depicts very well the damage that can be wrought on a person's character by hearsay and suggestion. 

I enjoyed this read though perhaps not quite as much as I thought I might. I've waited a little while to write my review as I wanted to think about my reasons why, but unfortuately I'm still not sure I've put my finger on it. Suffice it to say that although I had some reservations, there was a good amount that I liked about it, there is plenty of tension and intrigue and I would still certainly recommend other readers give it a try. 

Published by Mulholland Books, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton

reviewed as part of the amazon vine program

Here are some reviews from other book bloggers: Raven Crime Reads | Books, Biscuits & Tea

Alex - Pierre Lemaitre

Alex is a crime thriller by French author Pierre Lemaitre, translated from the French into English by Frank Wynne, and published by Maclehose Press, an imprint of Quercus.

I had heard some exciting buzz about this novel before I read it, and I had also heard it is dark read with some disturbing episodes. Having now read it, I think the buzz is fully justified. It’s a novel that is difficult to review in terms of plot, because so much of the plot comes as a surprise or a shock, an unexpected twist here, an event that makes you reassess everything there. Nothing of this should be revealed to the prospective reader, if they are to fully enjoy this thrilling read. I will merely say that Alex is kidnapped and it seems like she can’t possible escape, but as we are told in the synopsis for the novel, this is actually just the start of things…

I liked the depiction of Camille Verhoeven, the detective leading the investigation, initially into the kidnapping but then further into the situation that develops; he had his own personal reasons for not wanting to pursue a kidnapping case, and yet wanting there to be justice and never giving up in his pursuit of the answers. I felt we got to know him, and the supporting cast working with him, including the contrasting pair Louis and Armand, but for me they never detracted from the main intrigue of the novel, namely Alex and her movements and actions.

I was a little apprehensive about reading this book as I was worried how scary it would be. Yes, there are some gruesome aspects but I’m glad in retrospect that I didn’t let this put me off. This is a clever thriller with a gripping narrative that kept me completely hooked throughout, and a lead character, in Alex, who held my attention and had me intrigued. This novel shocked, surprised and enthralled me; I found myself reassessing what I had read before in light of what I had just learnt. I would love to read more by this writer.

If you like a crime novel with an addictive narrative that keeps you guessing, that makes you question what you know and expect in terms of the crime genre, making you wonder about the limits of right and wrong, and of revenge, and if you can stomach dark themes, violence, abuse and some admittedly very upsetting episodes, then you should definitely give this a try because it has such a strong plot, great suspense, and a clever and surprising outcome. The conclusion made me stop and think and look back at the whole story again. The translation is very well done. Gripping stuff.

Published by Maclehose Press

reviewed as part of the amazon vine program


This novel counts towards my participation in the 2013 Translation Challenge hosted by Curiosity Killed the Bookworm

Seating Arrangements - Maggie Shipstead

'A wedding was always an aphrodisiac, full of temporary pairings driven by vicarious hope.'

We meet Winn Van Meter as he is preparing to journey from Connecticut to an island off the East coast of America and meet the rest of his family who are getting ready for his pregnant eldest daughter Daphne's wedding. They are a well-off, privileged family, and Waskeke has always been a place he can retreat to for a break, to enjoy the calm. This time it will be very different, as the place will be filled with relatives and the family of his future son-in-law as they all gather for the big event.

Before setting off, his thoughts reveal that he is hesitant and daunted by what might happen during the days ahead: 'He would carry out his role gladly, but the weekend, now surveyed from its near edge, felt daunting, not a straightforward exercise in familial peacekeeping and obligatory cheer but a treacherous puzzle, full of opportunities for the wrong thing to be said or done.'

The book focuses primarily on the events in the couple of days leading up to the wedding, but also there are moments where the reader is taken back to earlier days to discover more about Winn's life and his family history. The novel follows him as he ponders his attraction to one of the young bridesmaids. There is intrigue as to whether he will give in to this temptation. During the narrative he looks back at his marriage, and some of the key moments of his life, questioning whether he took the right path. Winn had wanted sons not daughters. There is a persistent feeling that he is disappointed even now. Then back in the present, the cracks begin to show.

As the novel progresses, many characters are introduced, relationships are revealed and secrets are uncovered. I liked how the author depicted the different personalities of the bridesmaids, and also how she incorporated the prior and current troubles of the younger sister, Livia.

I particularly liked the character of Dominique, who is able to stand back a little and observe the Van Meter family and their traditions and the clubs they belong to and how they carry their wealth, and concludes that 'they wanted to be aristocrats in a country that was not supposed to have an aristocracy...'

I enjoyed this witty, sharp observation of one man and his family. The author is very astute and perceptive in depicting her characters and their emotions, the worries and concerns that gnaw away at them, even when they do have a seemingly comfortable life. 

I would definitely look out for future works by this author based on this debut.

Published by Blue Door, an imprint of HarperCollins

Reviewed by Lindsay Healy

I received this book via the amazon vine programme.

Signs of Life - Anna Raverat

'There is what I remember, what I know, what I think, and what I imagine.'

I was anticipating something special when this novel arrived, as it has been chosen as one of the Waterstones 11 picks of debut novels for 2012, and the ones I have already read from that list have been very good reads.


This novel is narrated by main character Rachel throughout, stuck in her lonely room, staring out of the window and watching the builders working on the site across the way from her. I inferred from what we learn of her that she may even not really go out much anymore. She is attempting to write about an affair ten years ago, the memories of which evidently affect her very deeply even now. Whilst in a long-term relationship with her partner Johnny, she embarks on an affair with work colleague Carl, who has made quite plain his attraction to her. We learn that the affair came to a tragic end, but we don't know how, or what exactly happened, until we have read the whole book. The narrative style is short, sometimes very short, chapters, with paragraphs that skip about in time; at one moment Rachel is telling us about something that happened at the start of the affair, and then immediately she jumps to writing about something that happened after the affair. This non-chronological approach is very unsettling for the reader, and gives the whole novel a disjointed feel. 


Rachel pours her thoughts and feelings out, and they scatter onto the page in a disordered fashion, and this gives us an insight into her mixed-up thinking; jumping backwards, forwards, backwards again in time. She readily admits that what she remembers may not all be true, or may not be quite what happened. She looks to the notebook that she has from the time of the affair, and thinks back to her dreams. But the notebook is not a full record, and she can't be certain about what she remembers of her dreams. What should we believe? What is true, and what is incorrectly recalled? At one stage, Rachel tells us that she is 'not telling us the story so much as finding it, making it.' This all makes for an uneasy, unsettling experience for the reader; when our narrator no longer knows what is genuine, where does it leave us?


I found this an interesting read; it's brave of the author to present us with such an unreliable, not particularly likeable narrator throughout, and clever to present all of the recollections in such a fragmented way. It keeps the reader interested and keeps you guessing as to the truth, the lies, and the outcome. I certainly was intrigued enough to want to finish the story. It reminded me a little in terms of the style and narrator of the Deborah Kay Davies novel 'True Things About Me'. For me, it was an interesting book, perhaps not a favourite, but I'm glad to have read it.

Published by Picador on 12th April 2012.


~~~~~


This debut novel is one of the Waterstones 11 picks for 2012. 


See my reviews of some of the other choices here:


The Snow Child
The Land of Decoration
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Book of Summers - Emylia Hall

'I realized then that I'd tried so hard to forget the big things, that all the little things had gone too.'

Debut novelist Emylia Hall has taken inspiration from family holidays to rural Hungary during her childhood and woven these memories with her own imaginings to create a truly beautiful, heartfelt book.

In the novel, we meet Beth Lowe in the present day, living in London and working in an art gallery. Her father has come to visit her, and has brought with him a package for Beth that has been delivered to her back home in Devon. On opening it, and unwrapping The Book of Summers, she opens up the door to all the days of her past that she had buried away; 'As the years passed, and I strengthened my resolve, my childhood fell to time. And I drew a lid on it, as one might the contents of an old chest, pushed to the corner of an attic.' Through the photographs in the book that her mother Marika has collated, and which Beth now holds in her hands, she is drawn back once more to the memories of those summers she spent in Hungary as she grew from a girl to a young woman. 

We journey back in time with her through the recollections in her mind's eye, as she travels to Hungary with her parents for the first time; the Berlin Wall has fallen and her mother desires to see her native land once again. When they return home to Harkham, Devon, it is without Marika. And so Beth's time spent in Hungary begins. 

The author has captured the excitement and discovery first of childhood, where there is little fear and everything is there to be experienced, and then of adolesence, and the first feelings of love. The summers that Beth, then Erzsi, spent in Hungary with Marika, at Villa Serena, the house she shared with an artist. She has captured equally well the feelings of someone harbouring pain in their past; somewhere they can't revisit because of the intensity of feeling that has been locked away ever since the year Beth turned sixteen, and she left Hungary behind her. 'I know this much; the old hurts never go. In fact they're the things that shape us, they're the things we look to, when we turn out rough-shod, and messy at the edges.'

The thing that struck me the most as I began reading this novel is how beautiful the prose is, line after line. The author conjures up some gorgeous images. More than this, I felt that the author has captured life, captured human emotions; you can recognise parts of yourself here. And she has delivered such genuine truths about love, about families and relationships, and secrets and pain. I wish I could write like this. 

I was very moved by this story, and close to the end I cried. I found the author had awoken memories in myself of past times, some happy, some extremely sad. If a novelist succeeds in touching the heart of the reader in such a way, surely they have succeeded in what they set out to do. This is, amazingly, a first novel, and the author is young. I can't wait to read what comes next. I couldn't say more than if you're thinking of reading The Book of Summers - buy it, read it, enjoy the marvellous prose, return to the prologue and start it all again. 

5/5


Published by Headline Review on 1st March 2012


You can visit the author's blog here and her main website here.


~~~~~

Wonder - R. J. Palacio

'My name is August, by the way. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.'

August 'Auggie' Pullman is a ten-year-old boy, much like many other boys of his age, except that he was born with facial disfigurements. He has undergone countless operations but he is still aware of how different he looks from everyone else, and he is acutely aware of the diverse reactions he gets from people. The novel is narrated by several different voices, each in the first person, and the one that features most is Auggie himself. The other characters who we hear from, like his sister Via, offer different perspectives on Auggie, on how they feel about him, on their relationship with him, and how he affects their lives. The chapters are, for the most part, very short, and it's very easy, and tempting given the lovely writing and the great story, to read a lot, if not all of the book in one sitting. We meet Auggie at a key stage in his life - he has been home schooled until now, partly to protect him, and his parents now want to send him out to attend middle school, a huge and incredibly daunting step for him. Is he brave enough to try it, how will he fit in, how will the other children react to him, and the other parents - so many anxieties surrounding this new part of his life.

This is a lovely read, Auggie himself is endearing, funny, believable, and most importantly he is deeply loved, supported and accepted by his parents and his sister. It could be said this novel is an illustration of the maxim that it is ultimately 'what is on the inside that counts', writ large. But maybe Auggie wouldn't be who he is without being as he is. He has had to learn to deal with peoples' reactions to him, on seeing his face, from shock or fear, to acceptance and friendship from some, or unkindness and taunting from others. He is a kind-hearted boy, who is so happy seeing those he loves enjoy success. On seeing his sister Via receive applause he decides; 'I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.'

The novel offers, through Auggie, a real insight into how it must feel to be considered 'different', and how a child might deal with this. At first when the narrator was no longer Auggie I wondered how well it would work, having gotten used to seeing things from his perspective and enjoying this, but I needn't have worried, as the other characters' sections all add to Auggie's story rather than detract from it. The story isn't just about how Auggie is different though, it's about all the things he experiences that are the same as anyone else of his age, such as not being sure he wants his mum to kiss him in front of everyone anymore, making new friends, getting used to middle school, and so on.

This novel is aimed at a children's and young adult audience but it wouldn't harm anyone of any age to read it and be reminded not to judge by appearances and to be a little kinder to others, and it will reward those who do read it with a moving, at times dark, but also uplifting read. 

As an aside I have to mention that since Auggie's lovely dog is called Daisy he obviously has great taste - so is ours! :-)

I had to show a picture of the front cover of the proof copy of this novel which I received for review, it's a very effective pattern showing one face standing out, highlighted and different from the sea of all the other identical ones. 


Also, the back cover of the proof copy has a well-known saying that has been altered very appropriately to fit this story. 

Published in the UK by Bodley Head Childrens, part of Random House Children's Books on 1st March 2012.

The Good Father - Noah Hawley

Dr Paul Allen has a very successful professional life and a happy family at home. Married to second wife Fran, he lives in a nice house in the suburbs with their twin sons, spending his days in a hard-earned top job as chief of rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. One Thursday evening, just like any other, they are all at home, making dinner and preparing to settle down for the evening, to eat pizza and watch TV, when there is an alarming newsflash. Jay Seagram, a Democratic senator and the popular front-runner for President in the forthcoming elections, has been shot whilst giving a speech in Los Angeles. And the horrifying, astonishing revelation for an incredulous Paul is that the man who has been arrested for this crime is his boy Danny, his son from his first marriage.

The premise of this novel, with such a compelling storyline in the offing, promises much. So, does it live up to its promise? For me, yes it does, and more. It's as intense a read as the synopsis suggests. This is a psychological portrait of a father driven to his absolute limit in his efforts to try and account for why his son has acted in this awful way, how did Danny become this person? What did Paul do, or fail to do, that has resulted in his little boy becoming the adult that he is? Paul begins to look back and question his every action and decision in an attempt to get inside his son's thoughts and belatedly try and understand his boy. He divorced first wife Ellen, initially planning to leave a then eight-year-old Danny with her on the West Coast only temporarily. His new life took shape however, and he remained in New York, seeing Danny only during the holidays. He recalls incidents in Danny's life as he grew up, wondering if this one or that one could have been the experience that changed him and led to him acting this way. But ultimately Paul refuses to believe that Danny is guilty of what he has been accused, and battles to uncover any secret that may prove otherwise.


I sympathised deeply with Paul; his every waking moment has become riddled with the obsession of where he has gone wrong as a father, what was behind his son's behaviour, was it really Danny who in fact committed this crime, can Paul prove otherwise? Even when the family try to make a fresh start, his need to pursue the case becomes like a drug addiction; he cannot leave it alone, even if he tells his family he will put it behind him, it's his dirty secret. His family all has to face the public outrage and hatred for this heinous crime; their friends, and the whole country have been deprived of the great hope for a new future which Senator Seagram had come to represent. The novel also raises again the thorny question of access to guns and the right to bear arms. The ease of acquiring a firearm is all too evident here. The writer conveys a picture of America today, of hope and the reality behind that hope.


And whilst Paul deals with the aftermath, what do we learn of Danny in the run up to the shooting? The author depicts Danny as a lonely lost soul, a quiet boy lacking any real direction in his life, he drops out of college and starts travelling around the country, never staying anywhere more than a few months. What can be done to bring someone like him back into society? Is it the fault of his parents? Is Paul to blame? Slowly, piece by piece, some of Danny's recent experiences and journeys are revealed to us throughout the story, these chapters strewn within the main account of Paul's thoughts and behaviour. What leads anyone to commit such an act? The novel also contains sections briefly recalling the accounts of other assassinations and atrocities in America's recent past, and of the men behind them. 


This all adds up to create an intensely powerful book that is gripping from start to finish, and is beautifully written. It offers a fascinating, absorbing and intimate portrayal of a successful, intelligent and fundamentally good man who is forced to re-examine his whole behaviour as a father in the light of one dreadful action. 

5/5

Reviewed for amazon vine UK.

Published by Hodder & Stoughton on 29th March 2012.

The Land of Decoration - Grace McCleen

Judith is a ten-year-old girl who has embellished her bedroom with all manner of everyday items to transform it into 'The Land of Decoration.' She makes use of whatever she can find, turning ordinary bits and bobs that are essentially rubbish, into people, buildings, landscapes; whatever she imagines, she conjures it up somehow, and this is the place she retreats to. She lives with her father, her mother having passed away, and they have a fairly simple existence. They are fervently religious, regularly attending their meeting house every Sunday, believing that the End is on its way, and taking their message door-to-door. With only her father for company, eventually Judith beings to converse directly with God. One day Judith transforms the land she has created to look as if it has snowed, and wishes for it to snow the next day in the real world. When this actually happens, Judith believes she has performed a miracle, and that further miracles are possible. At school she is bullied for being different, by one boy in particular, and she begins to wonder if she can influence this too, with another miracle thought out in the Land of Decoration. Meanwhile her father has troubles of his own, as a strike at the factory where he works threatens to bring further problems to the family. 

This is a delightfully inventive and unusual story, and I loved Judith’s voice, at times sad, but always honest. There is such an innocence to her at times, yet the fatalistic beliefs that she has grown-up with via her father and their faith give her thoughts a much darker edge too, especially later in the book. Her father evidently also carries a deep sadness, despite his beliefs, and it is moving to see if, and how, their relationship will change. Whilst not intending to compare the two, or suggest they are the same, it reminded me a little of 'Room' by Emma Donoghue, in the way that the child narrator is key to the story. What happens to Judith affects everything, and it's through her insights into the confusing world around her that we experience her world. The chapters are for the most part very short and it's easy to get pulled into Judith's story. I was a little hesitant after reading some reviews and discovering the extent of the religious content, but actually this didn't affect the experience for me. In fact, there is a wonderful passage as she describes how she first hears God respond, and likens it to a long-distance telephone call. This novel may not answer all the questions it asks, and definitely leaves the reader wondering about certain elements of the story. It's a fresh, unconventional debut novel, and I found it an enjoyable, effortless and interesting reading experience. 

Published in the UK by Chatto & Windus on 1st March 2012. Hardcover edition.