Out of Breath - Hardcover

Myerson, Julie

3.51

151 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224081764 ISBN 13: 9780224081764

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2008

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It's the summer holidays. And suddenly there's a strange boy at the bottom of Flynn's garden. Soon, she and her wayward brother Sam are walking out of the house in the middle of a hot summer's night and crossing four fields to find him again.

But as well as the boy, Flynn and Sam find a whole gang of runaway kids. There's Diana, who's just had a baby. There's Mouse, who's only five and likes to set fire to things. And there is the boy himself, who stirs up feelings in Flynn that she's never felt before. But there's also someone else - the unspeakably malign and terrifying presence they're all running from. Escaping him, they stumble on an amazing and extraordinary house by a waterfall, a house which seems to offer safety and meets their every desire and need - or does it?

The youngest character in the novel is one day old, and the oldest only seventeen. But the themes that lie at the heart of this ferociously original story are as adult, unsettling and universal as those of Julie Myerson's other novels.

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Review:

`beautiful conjurer of subtly disturbing atmospheres', `haunting effect' -- The Sunday Telegraph

`...More than just a coming-of-age story... a timely reminder about the importance of not growing up too quickly.' -- New Statesman

'An unsentimental writer who confronts head-on the banal reality of marriage and motherhood ... its playful, imaginative...' -- Metro

'Myerson is a master of suggestion and builds up the suspense layer by layer.' -- Irish Times

`A brilliant, deeply unsettling thriller which promises to be among the best reads of this year'
-- Daily Mail

`Brilliant and nightmarish, this modern fairytale is beautifully written' -- Eve

`Julie Myerson has created a magic dwelling par excellence...a strong addition to her distinctive body of work.' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly

`The novel weaves a fairytale with plot of love and loyalty layered over the harsh reality underpinning the characters' lives...' --The Big Issue

`a truly original read, transcending many of the usual boundaries found in fiction' --Scotland on Sunday

`a weird, beautiful scary slice of British magic realism.' --Herald

Book Description:

A new departure for one of our very best novelists - a story told by a young girl featuring a cast of children left to make their own world.

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