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Synopsis
An idyllic, old farmhouse in France is the background to a gripping story suffused with tension.
Two Oxford historians, Johnny and Sarah Thomson, take a sabbatical with their three small and lively girls in a remote and beautiful old farmhouse in the hills of Languedoc. But the farmhouse has its own histories, rather more fraught and alive than those the Thomsons are used to dealing with on the page.
As the illusion of Eden retreats, the Thomsons start to feel the vulnerability of being aliens in this unpredictable wildness. While Sarah frets about the danger of the swimming pool and the night-time visits of well-tusked boars, Johnny is more concerned by the locals — particularly Jean-Luc, the gardener. Is his taste for hammering tiny nails into dolls, collecting arcane rubbish, and secretly photographing Sarah, more than a harmless pastime? And how should they react to his eager befriending of their girls?
The novel, narrated from several points of view (most importantly from Jean-Luc’s), is about being among strangers, and being a stranger oneself. Writing, as always, with linguistic élan, imaginative flair, and an alert ear for dialogue, Adam Thorpe allows the comic to occasionally seep through, before returning us to the terrifying mysteries that feed at the heart of this thrilling novel.
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About the Author
Adam Thorpe’s first novel, Ulverton, was published in 1992. Since then he has written six other novels — most recently, Between Each Breath, two collections of stories and four books of poetry. He lives in France with his wife and family.
Review
"Superior novel...wincingly precise in his imagery and technically adept... An electric and darkly gleeful read" * Daily Mail * "An immensely clever, tragicomic novel...a rich meditation on past and present colonial politics... What resonates for me is what I greatly admire in all Thorpe's work: the complex depth, and the texture and poetry of his storytelling language" * Financial Times * "An intimate depiction of family life... Vivid and luminous" * Independent on Sunday * "Because this is Adam Thorpe, there are only two things you know for certain: that the writing will be gorgeous, silky-smooth; and that the plot will be entirely original, defying categorisation...enjoy" * Sunday Telegraph * "An intricate fiction which reminds us gently that war wrecks lives in ways too tangled to anticipate" * Times Literary Supplement *
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherJonathan Cape
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 0224079417
- ISBN 13 9780224079419
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages320
- Rating
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Standing Pool, The *****SIGNED & DATED****
Published by
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ISBN 10: 0224079417
ISBN 13: 9780224079419
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Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. First Edition. 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINT. Book in as new, unread, FINE/FINE condition this despite small push top spine. SIGNED & DATED (19/6/08) . Synopsis: Two Cambridge academics, the historians Nick and Sarah Mallinson, take a sabbatical with their three small and lively girls in a remote Languedoc farmhouse. But the farmhouse has its own histories, rather more fraught than those the Mallinsons are used to dealing with on the page. Nick once wrote that 'History is more about amnesia than memory.' But what if that amnesia is a saving grace - disturbed at one's peril, like the murk of a standing pool? As the illusion of Eden retreats, the couple feel the vulnerability of being among strangers, and being strangers themselves - even in their own place, and even to their own children.Sarah frets about the danger of the swimming pool and the nightly visits of the wild boar, while Nick is more concerned by the guns of the local hunters. Meanwhile, however, there is Jean-Luc, the gardener, living alone with his invalid mother in the village, whose private world involves hammering nails into a doll, collecting arcane rubbish, and spying on Sarah's naked dips in the pool. What should the Mallinsons make of him? Writing, as always, with linguistic elan, an alert ear for dialogue, and huge imaginative flair, Adam Thorpe deftly interweaves social comedy with narrative suspense, returning us - brilliantly and inexorably - to the dark and terrifying mysteries that feed at the heart of this thrilling novel. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 002121
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