The German Numbers Woman - Softcover

Sillitoe, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006552013 ISBN 13: 9780006552017

Publisher: Flamingo, 2000

Synopsis

The German Numbers Woman

About this title

Review:

Blind war veteran Howard inhabits two worlds. There's the pampered, stable existence he shares with wife Laura and then there's the world he escapes to--the enigmatic, ever-changing world of the radio waves. From the bewitching rhythms of Morse Code, Howard sculpts an alternative reality for himself, one where he is God, eavesdropping on the secrets of the sighted world. Beguiled by a mysterious dialogue between two lovers, Howard gradually withdraws from life. Laura's efforts to reach him send their cosy existence spinning into chaos. She introduces him to the debonair Richard, a smuggler whose interest in Howard's radio knowledge is anything but innocent. A chilling adventure unfolds, of ruthless drug barons, perilous sea journeys and a desperate scramble for survival.

Sillitoe has created a gripping tale, which retains its satisfying twists until the very last line. At the same time, he inhabits the world of his blind narrator with a precision and an empathy that are fascinating--and humbling--to read. "If you're blind, you have to be in love all the time, with life, just to keep going", says Howard. It's impossible to read this book without feeling similarly compelled. --Matthew Baylis

Review:

Praise for Alan Sillitoe:

‘A major writer who ought to be read.’
Malcolm Bradbury

‘Sillitoe keeps on going... never flagging, never looking back and writing with a vigour, clarity and humanity that should be the envy of all those novelists who were not even born when he started.’
Daily Mail

‘What impresses one, as ever, about Sillitoe, is the ease of a style which yet allows him to expose the most complex emotions, and his ability to bring to light what people hide from themselves, or choose not to admit.’
Scotsman

‘One of Britain’s most powerful and sophisticated fiction writers.’
Times Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: Flamingo
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0006552013
• ISBN 13: 9780006552017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 418