{"product_id":"putney-9781408895740","title":"Putney","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e bold, thought-provoking novel that will compel and disquiet in equal measure, about the moral lines we tread, the stories we tell ourselves and the secrets we bury; ''the best novel of 2018, by far'' (Cressida Connolly, \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 - CHOSEN BY THE \u003ci\u003eOBSERVER\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNEW STATESMAN \u003c\/i\u003eAND\u003ci\u003e SPECTATOR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e1970s London. Ralph, an up-and-coming composer, has gone to visit Edmund Greenslay in his riverside home. At the heart of the house's wild bliss he finds Edmund's nine-year-old daughter Daphne, flitting, sprite-like, through the house's colourful rooms and unruly garden. From the moment their lives collide Ralph is consumed by an obsession to make Daphne his.  Decades later, Daphne watches her own daughter come of age and is confronted with the truth of her own childhood  and a devastating act of violence that has lain hidden for decades.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCertain books worm their way into your soul, grabbing you from the opening paragraph and holding you in their grip until the final page has been turned. Sofka Zinovieff’s Putney is just such a book, compelling the reader from its atmospheric opening until its bruising, bittersweet end -- Sarah Hughes * i *\u003cbr\u003eSmart and gripping -- Alex Preston * Observer, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eAmong the hottest books of this blazing summer -- Allison Pearson * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eAccomplished, timely and unusually well-wrought -- Sarah Moss * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eZinovieff handles this difficult subject with control, insight, wisdom and sympathy … For anyone who came of age in that era, this can be an uncomfortable read, as well as an utterly fascinating one. I think it’s the best novel of 2018, by far -- Cressida Connolly * Spectator, Books of the Year 2018 *\u003cbr\u003eSofka Zinovieff writes about this moral minefield with the necessary sensitivity, inhabiting her characters so convincingly that the conclusion is all the more chilling -- Kate Saunders * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eDelves deep into the discussions surrounding consent and abuse of power. Zinovieff has written a contemporary Lolita in which the rules of engagement have changed, women are speaking out about the ways they have been misused and the Humbert Humberts face prosecution and disgrace … Zinovieff is skilled at evoking the shifting moral and social terrain ... Richly drawn and convincingly realised * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eThis superb novel from the highly regarded Zinovieff dissects every moral ambiguity ... Zinovieff twists the reader’s sympathy to and fro, until the final revelation. Over and above the central subject, this is a finely nuanced study of the way different people make subjective sense of the past, and a reminder that the novel (like the analyst’s couch) is a great space for thinking about the unthinkable * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eZinovieff’s dark and disturbing novel delicately probes the lines between abuse and consent in this atmospheric, intelligent and ambiguous story * i, 30 best books to take on holiday in summer 2018 *\u003cbr\u003eUnputdownable: a modern classic * The Lady *\u003cbr\u003eA disturbing, well-structured, nuanced story that provides no simple answers – an important addition to an urgent, current conversation * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eInvolving, beautifully written, and subtle … There are terribly difficult questions here, dealt with sensitively and intelligently * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003eLolita for the age of #MeToo ... It delves deep into the discussions surrounding consent and abuse of power … Zinovieff is skilled at evoking the shifting moral and social terrain while never letting us forget that none of that can be an excuse … the two main players are richly drawn, the strange, sad bond that exists between them convincingly realised * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eI read this greedily over the course of a day ... On obsession, abuse and atonement via three memory threads with complex and provocative consequences. A powerful - and timely - examination of desire and permission, innocence versus experience. \"All children liked secrets, didn’t they..?\" -- Laura Bailey * Vogue *\u003cbr\u003eZinovieff writes with poise and sophistication * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eThe ultimate taboo brought to life in a way that’s thrillingly disturbing and evocative. I couldn’t leave it * Mary Portas *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a really important book. I loved it.  Thought provoking, emotionally complex,  and tackling the topic of the day - the blurred area between consent and abuse -- Esther Freud\u003cbr\u003eThis book is truly memorable and thought-provoking; throughout, Zinovieff sustains wonderfully perplexing and complex ambiguities. What is love, and what is exploitation? What is truth and what is self-deception? What is righteousness and what is hypocrisy? Can contradictions be simultaneously true?  It’s a great story and a riveting read. I’ll remember the characters forever -- Louis de Bernières\u003cbr\u003eI read it at one go, unable to put it down, until 2am ... It's remarkable, a brilliant novel,  jolting and shocking and right -- Michèle Roberts\u003cbr\u003eSuperb ... It is really something. Zinovieff treats the tricky subject with admirable dispassion -- Piers Paul Read\u003cbr\u003eI read this novel with huge enjoyment … It is a terrific novel and I look forward to reading it many more times * The Oldie *\u003cbr\u003eThe reader is as deftly manipulated as the child. Pacy and illuminating * The Week *","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408028115287,"sku":"9781408895740","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781408895740.jpg?v=1730501318","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/putney-9781408895740","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}