Harry and Ida Swap Teeth - Softcover

Stephen Jones

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0953327574 ISBN 13: 9780953327577

Publisher: Virgin Paperbacks, 2003

Synopsis

The darkly humorous second novel from maverick musician Stephen Babybird Jones, author of the critically acclaimed debut, The Bad Book. Sixteen years ago from the day you are reading this, two babies were born Siamese. Joined at the head but successfully separated, and now they are old enough, they like to think they have retained a little piece of each others brain. A bit of Ida in Henry and a bit of Henry in Ida. Sixteen years old today and short of money. Henry and Ida Brick go to the medical school and give themselves up for guinea pigs. The drive-in-drive-out lab rats, get paid twenty dollars for injections of new Society Drugs cocktails of genes and DNA taken from the saliva of schizophrenics, offenders, vandals, and pregnant teenagers all delivered indifferent combinations and doses for cash in hand. Feeling like a couple of young gods who are certainly not about to start living like mortals, they go missing and with all the bad blood swirling round inside this duo of delinquent tornados, a strange and incredible journey begins to unfold. A dark and devious plot intertwined with chilling comic genius andfreakishly potent imagery guarantees a unique and compelling read from this highly respected lyricist and wordsmith.

About this title

About the Author:

Stephen Jones is the musical blacksheep Babybird and the author of The Bad Book. His new soundtrack album due for release in the Spring guarantees a well timed surge of media interest, particularly on TV where Stephen is no stranger to high profile shows. With nine albums released in six years, one top ten gold album, a top three half a million selling single - You're Gorgeous, seven other top forty singles, and now with soundtrack success Stephen continues to mystify and sell music across the world. Henry and Ida Swap Teeth is Stephen's second novel, and has nothing to do with music whatsoever.

Review:

"Better known as Maverick musician Babybird, Stephen Jones has decided to turn his distinctive hand to writing novels. The results are astonishing. The Bad Book shares its grotesque childlike detail with Ian Banks' The Wasp Factory, but the bleak surreality and contorted memory sequences belong to Jones. Veering imperiously between maudlin monochrome and exuberant technicolour, he proves as adept with narrative and metaphor as he is with choruses and couplets. The Times It is breathtaking in its simplicity and its originality, but also loaded with enough possible interpretations to keep an academic going for years. Jones simply has a gift for the sort of words you relish wrapping your tongue around. The Scotsman As warped as a piece of wood left out in the rain, and as black as a Siberian night sky in Winter, this debut novel barely needs the qualification of alter-ego Babybird, to recommend it. Metro. The Bad Book is Jones' wry take on what tomorrow may bring... it echoes of Blue Velvet. The Wasp Factory, and William Faulkner. Big Issue In The North

About this edition

• Publisher: Virgin Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0953327574
• ISBN 13: 9780953327577
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176