Black Water - Softcover

Doughty, Louise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571278671 ISBN 13: 9780571278671

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2017

Synopsis

John Harper lies awake at night in an isolated hut on an Indonesian island, listening to the rain on the roof and believing his life may be in danger. But he is less afraid of what is going to happen than of something he's already done.

In a local town, he meets Rita, a woman with her own troubled history. They begin an affair - but can he allow himself to get involved when he knows this might put her at risk?

Moving between Europe during the cold war, California and the Civil Rights struggle, and Indonesia during the massacres of 1965 and the decades of military dictatorship that follow, Black Water is an epic novel that explores some of the darkest events of recent world history through the story of one troubled man.

Black Water confirms Louise Doughty's position as one of our most important contemporary novelists. She writes with fierce intelligence and a fine-tuned sense of moral ambiguity that makes her fiction resonate in the reader's mind long after the final page has been turned.

About this title

About the Author

Louise Doughty is the author of eight novels, most recently Black Water, which was published in 2016 to critical acclaim in the UK and US where it was nominated as one of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Her previous book was the Top Ten bestseller Apple Tree Yard, adapted for BBC One as a four-part series starring Emily Watson. Her sixth novel, Whatever You Love, was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. She has also won awards for radio drama and short stories, along with publishing one work of non-fiction, A Novel in a Year, based on her popular newspaper column. She is a critic and cultural commentator for UK and international newspapers and broadcasts regularly for the BBC. She lives in London.

Review

PRAISE FOR BLACK WATER

“Doughty’s excellent new novel is a character study, a glimpse at mid-century American civil rights, a thriller, a meditation on the effects of foreign policy on individuals, a modern love story and a portrait of Indonesian unrest in the twentieth century.... If it sounds like a handful, it is. But Doughty has found an ideal vehicle for her wide-ranging interests.” ―Olen Steinhauer, The New York Times Book Review

“Doughty’s language is punchy, visually striking and emotionally potent.... This is a compelling and vivid psychological drama, with plenty of bite.” ―Leyla Sanai, The Guardian

“Skilfully drawn and compelling...This serious novel marks a departure for Doughty, whose psychological thrillers, including Apple Tree Yard, have been so successful. This one strays more into le Carré territory― where she seems equally at home.” ―Carla McKay, Daily Mail

“Powerful, probing fiction in the tradition of Graham Greene and John le Carré.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Doughty takes a page from John le Carré, crafting a riveting, psychological, morally ambiguous tale. . . richly detailed . . . [T]he role of mercenaries in world affairs adds a new perspective to the spy novel genre.” ―Library Journal (starred review)

“Through Harper, Doughty creates a jarringly realistic backdrop of Indonesia’s violent past, sharply contrasting the menacing atmosphere with a growing romance and Harper’s memories of a vulnerable childhood in 1950s Los Angeles. A tense, contemplative literary thriller and worthy follow-up to Doughty’s critically acclaimed Apple Tree Yard (2013).” ―Booklist

"Doughty has created a novel comparable to Graham Greene’s masterpiece The Quiet American in its taut exploration of morality on a geopolitical and personal scale.... The plot is complex and delves into dark, unjustly forgotten corners of history...as much a character study as it is an espionage thriller.... Black Water is a gripping thriller, incisive character study, a critique of US foreign policy and a love story haunted by the 1965 massacres in Indonesia.” ―Shelf Awareness

PRAISE FOR APPLE TREE YARD

“Doughty is a brilliant storyteller who knows how to build the suspense to a breaking point.” ―Kate Saunders, The Times (London)

“Doughty writes with consummate pacing and psychological acuity, bringing fresh force to a common regret of adulterous lovers.” ―The New Yorker

“A disquieting, perceptive and gripping read.” ―Amber Pearson, Daily Mail

“Extraordinary...I’ve never read anything like it.” ―Ruth Rendell, The Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0571278671
• ISBN 13: 9780571278671
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384
• Illustrator: Beech Mark