What Dies in Summer - Softcover

Tom Wright

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857862790 ISBN 13: 9780857862792

Publisher: Canongate Books, 2012

Synopsis

'I woke up in a cold sweat, knowing for a definite fact that death was a teenage girl and that she had been standing silently by my bed during the night...' Jim Beaudry, or Biscuit as he's known, is a teenage boy trying to stay out of trouble. But trouble has a way of finding him. Especially after his cousin L.A. turns up on his doorstep. When one summer afternoon Biscuit and L.A. discover the body of a teenage girl in the Texas wilderness, an investigation begins that will put both of their lives in grave danger.

About this title

About the Author:

Tom Wright was born in Bonham, Red River Valley, Texas. He was educated in Texas, Minnesota and Colorado, before going on to study at the University of Alaska, the University of Texas Pan American and Texas A&M University. He is a clinical psychotherapist based in Texarkana, USA and is married with a flock of children and grandchildren. What Dies in Summer is his first book.

Review:

A beautifully written and deeply engaging study of loss and innocence, suffused with chilling dread. A haunting novel, a captivating debut, I loved it -- S.J WATSON, author of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP Superb, practically flawless debut novel about small-town murders and a boy detective's summer of love * * Sunday Times * * Terrific . . . Reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird -- Ian Rankin An unsettling novel about the loss of innocence * * The Times * * Builds upon the framework of the conventional modern thriller to fashion something that is much, much more . . . Beautifully written in a convincingly authentic teenage voice, this raw, powerful story, with its undertow of dread, heralds the arrival of a major new writer * * Daily Mail * * A coming of age drama with shades of Stand by Me ... A moving exploration of the vulnerability of youth * * Guardian * * Compulsive and provocative . . . A narrative voice that's raw and desperate, a story that grips from start to finish, What Dies In Summer is hugely impressive -- JOHN BOYNE, author of THE BOY WITH THE STRIPED PYJAMAS and THE ABSOLUTIST A magnificent novel, not so much about loss of innocence as innocence put through the masher. The story pulsates with a deep dread that would be unbearable if the novel weren't so sweet, funny, sexy and ultimately moving -- NICK CAVE, author of THE DEATH OF BUNNY MUNRO An erotic, compelling and deeply assured debut, midway between Ellroy and Faulkner. It evokes so precisely the beauty and sadness of first love and lost innocence -- Sam Taylor, author of THE REPUBLIC OF TREES A moving exploration of the vulnerability of youth, and of tangled family relationships -- Laura Wilson * * Guardian * * What Dies in Summeris an unsettling novel about the loss of innocence, the betrayal that passes down the generations -- Kate Saunders * * The Times * * What Dies in Summer's charm lies in the way it is sharp and precise about what Biscuit sees and hears, while remaining elusive about everything else... these puzzles contribute significantly to the novel's potency, as they turn you into another Biscuit, restlessly trying to work things out -- John Dugdale * * The Sunday Times * * This is an affecting study of the destruction of innocence written with a careful and intelligent approach to language . . . More than most novels, it is the narrative voice here which marks What Dies in Summer out as a particularly memorable book -- Barry Forshaw * * Good Book Guide * * An affecting study of the destruction of innocence written with a careful and intelligent approach to language * * Good Book Guide * * A dark but rich narrative which resists conventional structures, uses a striking mode of narration, and handles its supernatural and psychological dimensions with flair -- Christopher Kydd * * DURA * *

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate Books
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0857862790
• ISBN 13: 9780857862792
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 284