Author:Aidan Chambers
Karl, aged seventeen, is hopelessly in love. But the object of his affections, Firella, demands proof, and poses him a series of questions regarding his attitude to the many sides of love. But Karl is dyslexic, and convinced that if Firella finds out, she will think he is stupid, and unworthy of her, and leave him.
So Karl asks a local writer to help him construct his replies - and an unlikely, but extremely touching, friendship develops between the two men. They both come to learn a great deal about about life from a very different perspective, and when an act of violence shatters their calm, they find their respective appraisal of life shifting in profound ways.
Deliberate in pace and carefully insightful in its investigation of character, Chamber’s latest is a work of art that repays multiple readings
—— Michael Cart , BooklistPacked to the brim with challenging ideas, the latest from Chambers is simultaneously an acutely observed and surprising love story. An organic yet intricately crafted story of self-discovery . . . This is a generous gift
—— Publishers WeeklyThis is a teasingly provocative and touching cross-generational story, written with a rare candour about love, sex, thoughts of suicide and growing old
—— Julia Eccleshare , GuardianChambers is so skilled, so calmly truthful in his writing. What emerges is not just a moving, unexpected story of the complexity of teenagers, but also a story of later life, of ageing and loss, and what experience really means
—— Patrick Ness , GuardianIt takes a writer with the superb skill and sensitivity of Chambers to adapt the Cyrano de Bergerac story and turn it into a modern tale of grief, growth and acceptance . . . Great tenderness, authentic dialogue and elegantly crafted plotting. A book to be read and re-read
—— Sally Morris , Daily MailA wonderful book about friendship, words, and our deepest, most hidden selves. Elegant, precise prose and wonderful dialogue in which space has as much to say as words. This is a book to return to
—— The BookbagA heart-warming contemporary love story
—— Booked Up!Dying to Know You is a thoughtful and insightful novel and after turning the last page I was left with the impression that just maybe this writer’s story could be Chambers’ too
—— So Many Books, So Little TimeA gentle tale stuffed full of drama, elements of coming-of-age, dealing with grief and first love that make it irresistible
—— My Favourite BooksThis book is interesting, fun, and very insightful. Chambers takes an inventive approach to his writing
—— Examiner.comTruly brilliant and unforgettable
—— Fiction FascinationThis book is like nothing else I have ever read . . . An excellent YA read
—— The Overflowing LibraryA real page turner
—— BlissChambers delivers yet another intellectually satisfying novel with equal parts philosophy and repartee
—— The Horn BookA feelgood and story that quietly challenges a whole range of touchy subjects and social taboo
—— Sugarscape