Becoming Strangers - Hardcover

Dean, Louise

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743239997 ISBN 13: 9780743239998

Publisher: Scribner, 2004

Synopsis

Jan has been dying for six years, bringing his unhappy marriage with Annemieke to an end in middle age. Their sons have given them one last gift, a holiday in the Caribbean. Dorothy and George have also been given a holiday, by their granddaughter - their first and probably last trip overseas. In the rain of Bexhill-on-Sea, two weeks at a beach resort seems irresistible. Alone together, in perfect surroundings, they are unable to escape their troubles, until a few chance events - a disappearance, an assault and a man called Bill Moloney - allow them to make something out of the ashes of their love. This is a different love story - about how there's seldom a 'happily ever after', but sometimes a chance to redeem a life together half-lived.

About this title

Review:

'A stunningly good novel' -- PUBLISHING NEWS

'Dean has [Alan Bennett's]...almost supernatural talent for observing and measuring the comedy and tragedy of ordinary, heartfelt lives' -- Guardian

'Maturity, poise, a certain distinctive humour. I enjoyed BECOMING STRANGERS greatly. It is a very accomplished piece of writing' -- HELEN DUNMORE

'[A] very accomplished first novel...Dean has a deliciously lucid and seemingly effortless style...an exceptionally enjoyable book' -- DAILY MAIL

BECOMING STRANGERS REALLY WILL BE ONE OF THE BOOKS OF THE YEAR -- Independent

From the Back Cover:

"Becoming Strangers, British author Louise Dean's insightful debut, scrutinizes the crumbling marriage of a chic couple at a Carribean resort." Vogue
After more than half a century of marriage, Dorothy and George are embarking on their first journey abroad together. Three decades younger, Jan and Annemieke are taking the last in their tumultuous union. At first the luxury of a Caribbean resort is no match for the habits of domestic life. Then the couples paths cross, and a series of surprises ensues a disappearance and an assault, but also a teapot tempest of passions, slights, misunderstandings, and small awakenings that punctuate a week in which each pair struggles to come to terms with what s been keeping them apart. Becoming Strangers is a different kind of love story bittersweet, bitingly funny, and ultimately redeeming.

"Dean peels back the skin of these marriages with an unflinching lack of sentimentality and an immense talent for close observation and evocative, often poetic detail. She can reach straight into a character s heart . . . The ending is unexpected, yet entirely deserved. Dean has produced an ideal novel right out of the box." The Atlantic Monthly
"Dean handles the expanding roster of characters effortlessly . . . She seems to eye them all from a distance, waiting patiently for them to reveal themselves." The New York Times Book Review
LOUISE DEAN lives in France. Becoming Strangers, long-listed for the 2004 Man Booker Prize and winner of the Betty Trask Prize and the 2006 Le Prince Maurice Prize, is her first book.
Reading Group Guide available at www.HarcourtBooks.com
"

About this edition

• Publisher: Scribner
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0743239997
• ISBN 13: 9780743239998
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320