The Innocent - Hardcover

Szalay, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1444801023 ISBN 13: 9781444801026

Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd, 2010

Synopsis

It is 1948 and Aleksandr, a major in the MGB (the forerunner of the KGB) is sent to an isolated psychiatric clinic to investigate one of the patients there. The patient is a man long presumed dead - a now severely incapacitated veteran of the Second World War, who seems unable to remember any of his past.

Twenty-four years later, Aleksandr is haunted by the case. With his Stalinist faith under threat as the Cold War recedes, he interrogates his memories and the effect the case had on himself and on those he loved most.

About this title

About the Author

David Szalay was born in Canada in 1974. His first novel, London and the South-East (2008), won the Betty Trask Prize. He lives in London.

Review

"A psychologically intricate, flawlessly researched tale of Stalin's legacy through the eyes of a disillusioned old communist. It felt as English as Le Carre with its elegant Cold War scene-setting and quiet but intense emotional range." -- Melissa Katsoulis Times "This is a double headed story that is both sad and compelling" -- Nina Caplan Timeout "Szalay weaves a multilayered narrative ripe with period detail... A challenging thriller... Gripping" Metro "Impressive... Still in his mid-thirties, Szalay will surely soon be adding more prizes to his Betty Trask" The Sunday Times "Szalay moves skilfully across time and shows that history's end is not prophesied in books, but written in the wind" -- Steven Martin The Big Issue

About this edition

• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1444801023
• ISBN 13: 9781444801026
• Binding: Hardcover