The Wall - Hardcover

Sutcliffe, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 140882809X ISBN 13: 9781408828090

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013

Synopsis

Joshua is thirteen. He lives with his mother and stepfather in Amarias, an isolated town on top of a hill, where all the houses are brand new. At the edge of Amarias is a high wall, guarded by soldiers, which can only be crossed through a heavily fortified checkpoint. Joshua has been taught that beyond the concrete is a brutal and unforgiving enemy, and that The Wall is the only thing keeping him and his people safe. One day, looking for a lost football, Joshua stumbles across a tunnel which leads towards this forbidden territory. He knows he won't get another opportunity to see what is beyond The Wall until he's old enough for military service, and the chance to crawl through and solve the mystery is too tempting to resist. He's heard plenty of stories about the other side, but nothing has prepared him for what he finds... The Wall is a novel about a boy who undertakes a short journey to another world, to a place where everything he knows about loyalty, identity and justice is turned upside down. It is also a political fable that powerfully evokes the realities of life on the West Bank, telling the story of a Settler child who finds there are two sides to every story.

About this title

About the Author

William Sutcliffe was born in London in 1971. He is the author of five previous novels: the international bestseller Are You Experienced?; The Love Hexagon; New Boy; Bad Influence and, most recently, Whatever Makes You Happy. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages. He lives in Edinburgh.

Review

A bold and important novel. Whatever your views of Israel and Palestine, reading The Wall - a moving portrait of private pain and tragic conflict - will make you think again * A. D. Miller (author of Snowdrops) * A work with a lot of backbone, story writing skill, verve and integrity. A novel that is about justice and peace, and against colonialism and war ... a great achievement * Raja Shehadeh * Overwhelming foreboding ... A beautifully crafted ... A powerful read * Stylist * Startling and captivating ... This is not a novel of woolly moral equivalencies or easy solutions, but one that believes in empathy and redemption - and gives them a powerful heart -- Kamila Shamsie * Guardian * A stylistic and thematic departure for Sutcliffe ... In The Wall, Sutcliffe successfully creates a world which is part parable, part classic children's tale -- David Stenhouse * Scotland on Sunday * William Sutcliffe employs all this rites-of-passage symbolism with a very light touch, and crafts his novel with sustained suspense ... It makes for fast-paced, exciting reading ... The end is inspiring, delivering the spine chill that a good novel should, but in no way idealised -- Robin Yassin-Kassab * Independent * A haunting fable celebrating the healing power of nature -- Julia Eccleshare * Guardian * Sutcliffe has an acute ear for dialogue, and the family conflicts are convincingly evoked ... An impressive piece of fiction - for adult or young readers -- Tom Sperlinger * Times Literary Supplement * A nuanced yet readable account ... This is a heartfelt plea for understanding and dialogue - and, blissfully, it's not too heavy-handed with its symbolism, using and olive grove deftly to show how man can create and destroy * Literary Review * This powerful tale is thought provoking and sheds light on the controversy surrounding a frightening political reality * Lifestyle * Can't fail to excite and move * Financial Times *

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 140882809X
• ISBN 13: 9781408828090
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 291