Two Cambridge academics, the historians Nick and Sarah Mallinson, take a sabbatical with their three small and lively girls in a remote Languedoc farmhouse. But the farmhouse has its own histories, rather more fraught than those the Mallinsons are used to dealing with on the page. Nick once wrote that 'History is more about amnesia than memory.' But what if that amnesia is a saving grace - disturbed at one's peril, like the murk of a standing pool?
As the illusion of Eden retreats, the couple feel the vulnerability of being among strangers, and being strangers themselves - even in their own place, and even to their own children. Sarah frets about the danger of the swimming pool andthe nightly visits of the wild boar, while Nick is more concerned by the guns of the local hunters. Meanwhile, however, there is Jean-Luc, the gardener, living alone with his invalid mother in the village, whose private world involves hammering nails into a doll, collecting arcane rubbish, and spying on Sarah's naked dips in the pool. What should the Mallinsons make of him?
Writing, as always, with linguistic élan, an alert ear for dialogue, and huge imaginative flair, Adam Thorpe deftly interweaves social comedy with narrative suspense, returning us - brilliantly and inexorably - to the dark and terrifying mysteries that feed at the heart of this thrilling novel.
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Hardcover - first edition, first printing, in unclipped, mylar-protected jacket. A very good copy. TS. Used. Seller Inventory # 606365
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Hardcover in very good condition. Signed by author on title page. Jacket and hardcover spine feet are bumped. Pages are clean and text is clear throughout. Binding is sound. HCW. Signed by Author. Used. Seller Inventory # 439876
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. First Edition. 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINT. Book in as new, unread, FINE/FINE condition this despite small push top spine. SIGNED & DATED (19/6/08) . Synopsis: Two Cambridge academics, the historians Nick and Sarah Mallinson, take a sabbatical with their three small and lively girls in a remote Languedoc farmhouse. But the farmhouse has its own histories, rather more fraught than those the Mallinsons are used to dealing with on the page. Nick once wrote that 'History is more about amnesia than memory.' But what if that amnesia is a saving grace - disturbed at one's peril, like the murk of a standing pool? As the illusion of Eden retreats, the couple feel the vulnerability of being among strangers, and being strangers themselves - even in their own place, and even to their own children.Sarah frets about the danger of the swimming pool and the nightly visits of the wild boar, while Nick is more concerned by the guns of the local hunters. Meanwhile, however, there is Jean-Luc, the gardener, living alone with his invalid mother in the village, whose private world involves hammering nails into a doll, collecting arcane rubbish, and spying on Sarah's naked dips in the pool. What should the Mallinsons make of him? Writing, as always, with linguistic elan, an alert ear for dialogue, and huge imaginative flair, Adam Thorpe deftly interweaves social comedy with narrative suspense, returning us - brilliantly and inexorably - to the dark and terrifying mysteries that feed at the heart of this thrilling novel. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 002121
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. Seller Inventory # 0224079417-2-3
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