Author:Sadie Jones
The intoxicating new novel from the number one bestselling author of The Outcast
London 1972. Luke is dazzled by the city. It seems a world away from the provincial town he has fled along with his own troubled past, and his new life is unrecognisable – one of friendships forged in pubs, candlelit power cuts, and smoky late-night parties.
When Nina, a fragile and damaged actress, strays into his path, Luke is immediately drawn to her and the delicate balance of his new life is threatened. Unable to stay away from her, Luke is torn between loyalty, desire and his own painful past, until everything he values, even the promise of the future, is in danger…
Longlisted for the IMPAC Prize
An intoxicating and immersive read... It is a fraught and compelling novel; one that replays itself uncomfortably in the mind long after it is finished
—— Lucy Atkins , Sunday TimesIntense... Ms Jones is unflinching as she plots the course of fallout with no shelter, of wounded lives undone by desperation in love and art
—— Carmela Ciuraru , New York TimesWritten with a precision and a level of descriptive subtlety that puts her up there with our foremost novelists. I can't help but feel that if she had been born Samuel Jones she would already be considered on a par with the Barneses and McEwans of this parish... Fallout is crafted with a pared-back delicacy and attention to detail that shows an author determined to do better with every sentence. And at the same time, there is an intensity of focus, a merciless yet empathetic gaze directed towards each of the main characters that ensures we care deeply about each of them
—— Elizabeth Day , ObserverHugely enjoyable... Fallout is both deliciously gobble-able and carefully constructed... A thoroughly pleasurable read
—— Holly Williams , Independent on SundayAn intelligent, pacy tale... Every summer needs a One Day-style read; this book is a contender for that crown
—— Anne Ashworth , The TimesAbsorbing and romantic... Will drag you in and keep you there until the very last page
—— Mernie Gilmore , Daily ExpressLife-enhancing and compelling
—— Di Speirs , PsychologiesAn emotionally charged fourth novel from Jones
—— GlamourCements her reputation as a writer in the style of William Boyd: able to take on a variety of styles and mould them to her own voice
—— Viv Groskop , RedJones has artfully captured the era and the febrile atmosphere of London theatreland
—— Carla McKay , Daily MailAbsorbing
—— Good HousekeepingFabulous period detail
—— Woman & HomeEven better than The Outcast
—— Natascha McElhone , IndependentAnyone who loved Sadie Jones' gripping debut novel The Outcast will be equally hooked by this fraught tale of creative ambition and betrayal in a radical theatre group of 1970s London
—— StylistFew people combine emotional intelligence with commercial appeal so well… Jones writes so richly it’s like sinking into a luxurious bath
—— MetroA vivid sense of period is combined with a real satirical edge
—— Mail on SundayJones gives the appearances of being an effortlessly fluent writer. Her sentences tumble forth, occasionally surprising the reader with their odd perfection… Sadie Jones is that rare novelist who can deliver a satisfying plot without stylistic compromise
—— Alex Peake-Tomkinson , Times Literary SupplementThe novel captures, better than anything I’ve read, theatre’s febrile, ephemeral intensity
—— Samantha Ellis , Big IssueNow I want to read her other books
—— William Leith , Evening StandardAn irresistible read
—— John Koski , Daily MailA page-turning read. We can think of no more worthwhile or enjoyable companion on holiday
—— A Little Bird (Blog)Sadie Jones depicts the dark undercurrents of middle-class life with unerring skill, telling a powerful and disturbing story with insight and depth
—— Good Book GuideGripping final chapters ramp up the suspense towards a hearth-wrenching conclusion ...explores the tensions and trials of the human condition with grace and insight.
—— New York TimesAbsolutely fantastic . . . I'm in real awe of her writing.
—— Elizabeth Macneal, author of THE DOLL FACTORYFates and Furies is a dazzling novel, its people and its prose wondrously alive from page one. At once intimate and sweeping, this is the story of a marriage as parallel myths-- flaring with passion and betrayal, with redemption and retribution, with the sort of heart-breaking, head-slapping secrets that make you want to seek out someone else who's read it. Lauren Groff is a powerful and graceful writer, one of the best of her generation.
—— Jess Walter, bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL RUINSAudacious and gorgeous…Deliciously voyeuristic but also wise on the simultaneous comforts and indignities of romantic partnership…In her previous work Groff proved herself a deft prose stylist, translating the familiar into the remarkable and transcendent. Fates and Furies further showcases this talent…In Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff has taken the struggles and pleasures of marriage and turned them into art, and in that artfulness she reminds us of the dangers and omissions that any storytelling requires.
—— Los Angeles TimesFates and Furies is devastatingly good, with the most satisfying ending I've read in a long time. The writing is gorgeous, the plot twisting, and the characters are almost too real – the only thing that keeps it from being the Platonic ideal of a novel is that it can only be read for the first time once. The only response that seemed sufficient in the hours after finishing it was to send several dozen roses, a cake, and my heart to Lauren Groff.
—— Sara Taylor, author of THE SHORE[Fates and Furies is] an engrossing portrayal of a marriage and of life – or how a marriage impacts a life – and is packaged into a deeply poetic and engaging novel of two halves… With frequent asides and a love letter to literature, theatre and art in its pages, Lauren Groff has created something truly incredible… It’s a clever, thought-provoking novel that questions the very notion of how possible it is to ever know someone entirely, all told in such a beautifully crafted way that I’m sure many new readings will be found with each much-deserved re-read.
—— Culture FlyIn a swirling miasma of language, plot, and Greek mythology, Groff weaves a fierce and gripping tale of true love gone asunder…Groff's prose is variously dewy, defiant, salacious, and bleak – a hurricane of words thrown together on every page. Yet so much of the power in this book lies in what's unspoken…It's an intoxicating elixir.
—— Publishers Weekly (starred review)Fates and Furies will keep you gripped until the end. It’s a fascinating study of how relationships are sustained and sacrificed…it is sumptuously written at every turn. For an autumn read to get firmly stuck into, look no further.
—— Running in HeelsAn absorbing story of a modern marriage framed in Greek mythology. Groff’s sharply drawn portrait of a marriage begins on a cold Maine beach, with newlyweds “on their knees, now, though the sand was rough and hurt. It didn’t matter. They were reduced to mouths and hands.” This opener ushers in an ambitious, knowing novel besotted with sex – in a kaleidoscope of variety – much more abundant than the commune-dwellers got up to in Groff’s luminous Arcadia (2012). The story centers first on Lancelot “Lotto” Satterwhite, a dashing actor at Vassar, who marries his classmate, flounders, then becomes a famous playwright. Lotto’s name evokes the lottery – and the Fates, as his half of the book is titled. His wife, the imperial and striking Mathilde, takes over the second section, Furies, astir with grief and revenge. The plotting is exquisite, and the sentences hum; Groff writes with a pleasurable, bantering vividness . . . An intricate plot, perfect title, and a harrowing look at the tie that binds.
—— Kirkus (starred review)Fates and Furies captures the vagaries of passion and marriage in ebullient prose.
—— Arifa Akbar , Independent (Best Fiction of 2015)Like a classic tragedy, Groff’s novel offers high drama, hubris, and epic love, complete with Greek chorus–like asides. A singular and compelling literary read, populated with extraordinary characters; highly recommended.
—— Library Journal (starred review)Comparisons to Gone Girl seem on the surface to fit perfectly. We have a golden couple, Lotto and Mathilde, we have a dark past – like Amy, Lotto is an heir to a large fortune. Yet Fates and Furies is far more subtle – Groff is considering the very nature of story-telling itself… I was reminded more than anything of Macarthy’s The Group... The fates and furies who narrate the novel are never intrusive, their interventions are rare and they pass on the whole unnoticed, but I felt that this worked better than a more grandiose presence might have done. Through them, Groff channels a grace for her protagonists – this is not a story of heroes and villains but rather of humans who long to be better than they are.
—— NudgeAn exploration of marriage that turns expectations upside down, all told through the snarkiest omniscient narrator since Thackeray’s Vanity Fair.
—— Guardian (Readers' Books of the Year 2015)A really powerful novel
—— President ObamaFates and Furies is a lyrical and, at times, astonishingly beautiful account of how little it is possible to know about those closest to us
—— Financial Times[An] edgy symphony.
—— Independent Magazine[An] ingenious novel…buttressed by real emotional power.
—— Mail on SundayThere are two sides to every story and the author delivers both of them with brilliant authenticity. A must read.
—— Town and Country (Christmas List)My favourite book of 2015 was Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies (although I’m sure lots of people will pick this one!). I was given it by a friend and devoured it in two days. I felt as though I could have gone on reading it forever.
—— WH Smith (Books of the Year)Fascinating...a joy to read.
—— SavidgeReadsA truly brilliant book which I completely fell in love with.
—— VogueA forensic dissection of marriage, lyrically told.
—— Alexis Zegerman , Jewish Telegraph