Glister - Hardcover

Burnside, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224080741 ISBN 13: 9780224080743

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2008

Synopsis

The children of Innertown exist in a state of suspended terror. Every year or so, a boy from their school disappears, vanishing into the wasteland of the old chemical plant. Nobody knows where these boys go, or whether they are alive or dead, and without evidence the authorities claim they are simply runaways.

The town policeman, Morrison knows otherwise. He was involved in the cover-up of one boy's murder, and he believes all the boys have been killed. Though he is seriously compromised, he would still like to find out the killer's identity.

The local children also want to know and, in their fear and frustration, they turn on Rivers, a sad fantasist and suspected paedophile living alone at the edge of the wasteland. Trapped and frightened, one of the boys, Leonard, tries to escape, taking refuge in the poisoned ruins of the old plant; there he finds another boy, who might be the missing Liam and might be a figment of his imagination. With his help, Leonard comes to understand the policeman's involvement, and exacts the necessary revenge - before following Liam into the Glister: possibly a disused chemical weapons facility, possibly a passage to the outer world.

A terrifying exploration of loss and the violence that pools under the surface of the everyday, Glister is an exquisitely written, darkly imagined novel by one of our greatest contemporary writers.

About this title

Product Description:

Rare Book

Review:

"(a) distinctive and widely praised prose style, spare but ruminative, full of ideas and unusual formulations"

-- Irish Times

'... exquisite and haunting...I doubt I will read a more unsettling and memorable book this year'
-- Scotland on Sunday

'A novel that pierces the heart of evil... Consume it at night... Turn out the lights'
-- Scotsman

'An agglomeration which builds and sticks, like molasses and leaves a long aftertaste. Glister is a powerful, mesmerising experience' -- Observer

'An incredible book; its echoes sound long after the end has been reached' -- Big Issue

'Baffling, haunting, terrifying, moving, and compulsively readable' -- Daily Telegraph

'Fascinating' -- Sunday Herald

'In "Glister", he brings his powers of pared-down narration to bear on a tale of dereliction, loss and possible redemption'
-- Sunday Times, Nick Rennison

'Intricate and beautifully crafted. Unpredictable at every turn... a beautifully twisted urban fairy tale' -- Big Issue

'One of the most original and exhilarating reads of the year... an exceptionally rich treasure' -- Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Jonathan Cape
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0224080741
• ISBN 13: 9780224080743
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272