Author:Deborah Levy
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSMITHS PRIZE 2019
'An ice-cold skewering of patriarchy, humanity and the darkness of 20th century Europe' The Times
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'It's like this, Saul Adler.'
'No, it's like this, Jennifer Moreau.'
In 1988, Saul Adler is hit by a car on the Abbey Road. Apparently fine, he gets up and poses for a photograph taken by his girlfriend, Jennifer Moreau. He carries this photo with him to East Berlin: a fragment of the present, an anchor to the West.
But in the GDR he finds himself troubled by time - stalked by the spectres of history, slipping in and out of a future that does not yet exist. Until, in 2016, Saul attempts to cross the Abbey Road again . . .
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'A time-bending, location-hopping tale of love, truth and the power of seeing. Thoroughly gripping' Sunday Telegraph
'Writing so beautiful it stops the reader on the page' Independent
'Levy splices time in artfully believable, mesmerizing strokes' Lambda Literary
'Skewering totalitarianism - from the state, to the family, to the strictures of the male gaze - Levy explodes conventional narrative to explore the individual's place and culpability within history' Guardian
'An utterly beguiling fever dream' Daily Telegraph
An utterly beguiling fever dream of a novel... Its sheer technical bravura places it head and shoulder above pretty much everything else on the [Booker] longlist
—— Daily TelegraphWriting so beautiful it stops the reader on the page
—— IndependentA time-bending, location-hopping tale of love, truth and the power of seeing... Increasingly surreal and thoroughly gripping
—— Sunday TelegraphExquisite... A brilliant Booker nominee... Ultimately, Levy is concerned with power – the forms it takes in our lives, the extent to which it is something we both possess and are subjected to
—— GuardianOne of the big stories in English fiction this decade has been the return and triumph of Deborah Levy... You would call her example inspiring if it weren't clearly impossible to emulate
—— New StatesmanAn ice-cold skewering of patriarchy, humanity and the darkness of the 20th century Europe
—— The TimesIn one short and sly book after another, she writes about characters navigating swerves of history and sexuality, and the social and personal rootlessness that accompanies both
—— The AtlanticCharged with themes spanning memory and mortality, beauty and time, it's as electrifying as it is mysterious
—— Mail on SundayIntelligent and supple...a dizzying tale of life across time and borders
—— Financial TimesIt's clever, raw and doesn't play by any rules
—— Evening StandardSuperbly crafted, enigmatic, tantalizing... Levy defies gravity in a daring, time-bending new novel... Head-spinning and playful, her writing offers sophistication and delightful artistry
—— Kirkus (Starred review)One of the best books I have ever read
—— Katherine Angel via Twitterplayful, consistently surprising...Levy brilliantly plumbs the divide between the self and others
—— Publishers Weekly Best Books 2019Lalwani's prose has a balletic lightness
—— EconomistA female lead who isn't defined by a romantic story arc? Yes please. Lalwani's serious, ravishing way of writing about the secret life of Britain is just what we need
—— TimesYou People is a short, complex novel that shines a light behind the smiles at your local restaurant, and asks tough questions about the nature of goodness in an unfair society
—— Sunday Telegraph BOOK OF THE WEEKA sensitive and thought-provoking examination of an issue that is never far from the news and, as the plot accelerates, it segues into a tense and nerve-wracking thriller
—— Western MailLalwani's novels are full of moments when the stories people tell about themselves and the world prove to be unreliable or open to manipulation.... observations are magical, fresh and unsettling
—— London Review of BooksIf you want a book to read this summer that taps into contemporary concerns, this excellent new one from Nikita Lalwani is the one to read
—— SpectatorLalwani explores kindness, altruism and the precariousness of interconnected lives in an economical tale that has the pace and suspense of a thriller
—— Daily MailLalwani eloquently explores the prejudices, financial pressures and loneliness faced by 'outsiders' trying to survive in a hostile environment
—— The Tablet