{"product_id":"islanders-9780349016283","title":"Islanders","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Wonderful, vivid, bittersweet'' Sara Baume, author of \u003ci\u003eSpill Simmer Falter Wither\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Gritty, dark and joyful'' Michelle Gallen, author of \u003ci\u003eBig Girl, Small Town\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Riotously human and authentic'' Niamh Campbell, author of \u003ci\u003eThis Happy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Elegant, gritty, funny and unflinching'' Luiza Sauma, author of \u003ci\u003eEverything You Ever Wanted\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnnie\u003c\/b\u003e needs to lose her virginity, so she''s waiting in a car park for\u003cb\u003e Paul.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaul \u003c\/b\u003eneeds drugs for the party, but he''s got to keep an eye on his sister, \u003cb\u003eJosie.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJosie\u003c\/b\u003e needs a father figure. Or that''s how it seems to her driving instructor, \u003cb\u003eNeil\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEva \u003c\/b\u003eneeds to get away from the island. She could do without bumping into the school bully, \u003cb\u003eKat\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eClaire\u003c\/b\u003e needs to drink herself into the mood for the hen do. But she''s been betrayed by her childhood friend, \u003cb\u003eBecky\u003c\/b\u003e. And she can''t stop thinking abou\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ebeautiful and darkly funny book of linked stories covering two decades in the lives of a group of people on the island of Guernsey\u003c\/b\u003e. Their desperate need for connection - and the lengths they're willing to go to - are depicted with empathy and dry humour * Belfast Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWitty, gritty\u003c\/b\u003e ... a poetic portrait of Guernsey's grubby underside * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eAssured ... \u003cb\u003eThomas writes with compassion and humanity\u003c\/b\u003e -- Hannah Beckerman * Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCompelling and engaging\u003c\/b\u003e * Entertainment Focus *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ewonderful, vivid, bittersweet \u003c\/b\u003ecollection, a universal insight into the unglamorous lives of glamorous places. -- Sara Baume, author of Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIslanders\u003c\/i\u003e is a \u003cb\u003egritty, dark and joyful\u003c\/b\u003e book about a complex cast of characters. Every one of these stories reveals gleams of love and tenderness; every one of them packs a punch -- Michelle Gallen, author of Big Girl, Small Town\u003cbr\u003eYou feel everything in this book. Textured, intense, claustrophobic but \u003cb\u003eriotously human and authentic.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Niamh Campbell, author of This Happy\u003cbr\u003eA layered, immersive and sensory collection, \u003ci\u003eIslanders\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003epulses with life and pathos\u003c\/b\u003e. Cathy Thomas weaves these overlapping and intersecting stories with finesse, humour, and breathtaking precision. I loved it -- Eimear Ryan, author of Holding Her Breath\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIslanders\u003c\/i\u003e is elegant, \u003cb\u003egritty, funny and unflinching,\u003c\/b\u003e full of the joys and pains of life, and with a remarkable sense of place. I gulped it down and wanted more. Utterly wonderful. -- Luiza Sauma, Everything You Ever Wanted\u003cbr\u003eThe thwarted, unorganised, and chaotic rituals of youth are wonderfully evoked, as are the ruptures in those adult lives that have become stale, untruthful, and painful; \u003cb\u003ean affecting and funny debut\u003c\/b\u003e -- Oisín Fagan, author of Nobber\u003cbr\u003eThese stories are \u003ci\u003eso \u003c\/i\u003egood. With \u003cb\u003ebeautiful and devastating\u003c\/b\u003e precision, Cathy Thomas has crafted an unforgettable portrait of her island homeland Guernsey, revealed through a web of frail, flawed and - against all odds - connected human lives. -- Mia Gallagher, author of Shift\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI devoured these stories.\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eWith impressive range and beautifully precise observations, Thomas writes about what home and homesickness really means, the impact of regret, and the challenges of truly growing up. A voice to watch -- Julianne Pachico, author of The Anthill\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn immensely readable debut, full of pathos\u003c\/b\u003e ... Every place should have a writer like Cathy Thomas to tell its stories; Guernsey is very lucky to have her -- Barney Norris, author of Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFresh and funny and so sharply observed\u003c\/b\u003e -- Jan Carson, author of The Raptures\u003cbr\u003eThe shared but multifaceted claustrophobia of these interwoven lives is \u003cb\u003eintoxicating\u003c\/b\u003e. C\u003cb\u003eathy Thomas has a real talent for capturing the specific ennui, yearning, and resignation that occur within a small, resected place; the thoughts that hide behind innocuous conversations, the traitorous desires.\u003c\/b\u003e This is \u003cb\u003ea sticky, sensory, and very clever collection\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Susannah Dickey, author of Tennis Lessons\u003cbr\u003eA vivid collection of short stories, each one unlocking the next,\u003cb\u003e written in luminous prose that shares the whip and sting of the English Channel its characters call home.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eCathy Thomas has given us an island that is never silent, a world of peer pressure, drunk driving and yawning cliffs.\u003c\/b\u003e This thoughtful, generous work will linger in the memory -- James Clarke, author of Hollow in the Land\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFunny, complex and painfully insightful, \u003c\/b\u003efull of empathy without a sniff of sentimentality. The stories are \u003cb\u003eshot through with exquisite details, and descriptions so evocative they left me stunned\u003c\/b\u003e. Thomas draws the curtain around her reader and her characters, so that while you are with them, each of these tiny lives matters more than any other - what a feat -- Elske Rahill, author of An Unravelling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSuperbly crafted\u003c\/b\u003e * Guernsey Press *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733643243863,"sku":"9780349016283","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/islanders-9780349016283","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}