The Coincidence Authority - Softcover

Ironmonger, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780220847 ISBN 13: 9781780220840

Publisher: W&N, 2014

Synopsis

For fans of THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, Mark Watson and Mark Haddon, here is a cleverly written mystery about fate, circumstance, destiny and coincidence from COSTA AWARD-shortlisted author, John Ironmonger. This quirky read is hard to put down and spans philosophy, conflict, relationships and romance.

Thomas Post is an expert on coincidences. He's an authority. People come to see him, to ask him if he can explain strange events that have befallen them, and he can always explain these things away. We poor humans, he would say, have a tendency to make patterns out of random shapes, or to construct meaning from the random behaviour of the universe.

But one day Thomas gets a visit from Azalea Lewis, and his world will never be the same again. For Azalea's coincidences seem to go off the scale. The lives of Thomas and Azalea become entwined, their destinies entangled. And now, with Azalea apparently dead in a foreign land, Thomas must reassemble the pieces of her life in search for the patterns that drove it. And that means he must try to unravel the coincidences that so afflicted her.

About this title

Review:

This is an absorbing and unusual novel suffused with intelligence, charm and humanity and I highly recommend it. (THE BOOKSELLER)

This story twists like a pretzel, the author teases and tantalises the reader, and it's delightfully unexpected. (THE TIMES)

A love story that is also a story of ideas...The love story between Thomas and Azalea is touching and gently written. (THE METRO)

From the Author:

John Ironmonger is a writer, a zoologist, and someone who dabbles in healthcare IT. He is the author of 'The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder,' published by Orion books, and of 'The Coincidence Authority' which is due out in 2013. John was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and at the age of thirteen he was dispatched to boarding school in England (St Lawrence College in Ramsgate). He studied Zoology at Nottingham University, and went on to complete a PhD degree at Liverpool studying freshwater leeches and flatworms. This led to a period lecturing at a new University in Nigeria (the University of Ilorin). John married Sue Newnes in 1975, and they have two children - Zoe, and Jonathan. In 1994, while Sue was serving on the Council of Chester Zoo, John wrote 'The Good Zoo Guide,' a guide to all of the UK's zoos and animal parks, which was published by Harper Collins. John has worked in the IT industry since the 80s, and has travelled widely, spending a lot of time in America, Europe, and the Middle East. In 2007, John and a friend, Mike Taylor, drove a thirty year old Renault 5 across Europe and the Sahara in the annual Plymouth to Banjul banger rally - an adventure through eight countries and across three hundred miles of sand. Their trip raised almost £10,000 for an orphanage project in West Africa. The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder came third in the Guardian newspaper's 'Not the Booker Prize,' and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. A second novel, The Coincidence Authority is due out in March 2013, and John is working on a third novel - The Apocalypse and the Whale. In September 2012, John and Sue made a 'heart-of-darkness' trip to the Ujung Kulon national park in Indonesia and became possibly the only living Britons ever to see a Javan rhino and her calf. They are still smug about this.

About this edition

• Publisher: W&N
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1780220847
• ISBN 13: 9781780220840
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320