Description
Book SynopsisThe BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick
''Sentence by sentence, Ben Hinshaw offers wit, sensitivity and sharp observation. Then slowly the reader sees the grand design - the intricate, braided storylines, sustained with energy and relish. It is entertaining, and something more - truly involving, like a whole novel sequence cleverly condensed'' Hilary Mantel
Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of Guernsey, a teenager discovers a secret and finds his betrayal has the power to ruin adult lives. In London, a marriage shot through with infidelity leads to a quest for revenge, resulting in a series of simultaneously comical and catastrophic events. And in California, as wildfires threaten landscapes and lives, a young veteran struggles with the trauma of war, seeking solace at a local ranch.
In this extraordinary debut, a cast of characters grapple with unexpected betrayal, the loss of innocence and the lies we tell. With sharp insight, Ben Hinshaw illum
Trade Review
A surprising and enjoyable read . . . this novel without guardrails stands as a brave debut * The Times *
Virtuosity of technique accompanies keenness of insight and depth of characterisation . . . Hinshaw's impressively accomplished debut puts him in [Tim Winton and Jennifer Egan's] company -- Peter Kemp * Sunday Times *
Ben Hinshaw offers wit, sensitivity and sharp observation . . . the intricate, braided storylines, sustained with energy and relish. It is entertaining, and something more - truly involving -- Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the Light
A poignant demonstration of the way the past is still folded into the present * FT *
Ben Hinshaw renders ordinary human agonies with extraordinary precision and emotional insight . . . This book is a riveting and beautifully patterned map of the emotional archipelago of longing and learning, loving and leaving -- Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers
Such an incredibly clever idea this, a set of interlinked stories in which people who appear in one turn up in another . . there's a regretful, wistful atmosphere that's compelling. * Daily Mail *
A splendid debut. The stories are sharp, subtle, richly coloured and the world they deliver delightfully surprising. Read this book -- Lynn Freed, author of The Romance of Elsewhere
Full of precise moments of humanity. So finely observed, funny and touching -- Alex Hyde, author of Violets
Terrific. I really enjoyed it -- Andy Miller, author of The Year of Reading Dangerously and co-host of Backlisted
The calm, clear and intelligent prose belies the tortured emotional currents just below the surface. Sophisticated and ambitious -- Samantha Dunn, author of Failing Paris
