In a Dark Wood: A Novel - Hardcover

Craig, Amanda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385502621 ISBN 13: 9780385502627

Publisher: Doubleday, 2002

Synopsis

Resentful, embittered, and self-pitying, recently divorced, out-of-work actor Benedick Hunter discovers new meaning in his life when he stumbles upon a forgotten book of fairy tales his mother had written and illustrated decades earlier, stories that provide an illuminating glimpse of his own life and the secrets of his past.

About this title

Review:

Fairy tales are stuffed to the brim with dark woods--dark woods in which dwarves and hermits lurk, trees bleed when struck with an axe and princes and princesses are tested to within a hair's breadth of their lives. When Benedick Hunter finds a book of fairy tales written by his mother he knows there are dark woods within but is unaware of just how dangerous fairy tales can be. In A Dark Wood is his journey to discover his mother's secrets, the truths behind her stories and why she committed suicide when he was still a child. This is also a journey to find out more about himself, his "amorphous moods" and the "stink of failure" that plagues him following a divorce and a long spell of unemployment.

In A Dark Wood unravels through a matrix of fairy tales and half-forgotten memories leading from London in the 1960s to present-day New York and the white verandaed houses of North Carolina (hemmed in, of course, by dark woods). It's Amanda Craig's fourth novel, following the acclaimed A Vicious Circle, which is currently being developed for BBC television. Craig confirms with this novel that she is a voice to listen to, a bold writer who is not frightened to deliver a harrowing read. That said, In A Dark Wood has a lighter side and is shot through with a magical feel--as all good fairy tales should be.--Jane Honey

Review:

‘An intelligent and gripping novel. Wonderful, page-turning storytelling.’ The Times

‘Exhibits the same incisiveness and intelligence as her acclaimed “A Vicious Circle”. Witty and disturbing, it is a novel of both accomplishment and charm.’ Daily Mail

‘A book within a book, a rich plot with plenty of on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense, an abundance of quirky but believable character...“In A Dark Wood” is an elegant anti-fairy tale for adults that keeps you guessing until the last few pages.’ Daily Express

‘An eerie novel full of fairytale menace...beguilingly told and hypnotic.’ Independent on Sunday

'A tour de force.' Spectator

'Vivid and enchanting, ‘In A Dark Wood’ is an affirmation of storytelling.' New Statesman

‘Terrifyingly intense...Craig’s triumph is to underscore the way in which society treats emotions as a disability.’ Financial Times

‘Predominantly comic and reassuring ... a triumph for sanity.’ Time Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0385502621
• ISBN 13: 9780385502627
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 309