If This Is Home - Softcover

Evers, Stuart

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447207637 ISBN 13: 9781447207634

Publisher: Picador, 2013

Synopsis

Mark Wilkinson has three names. He left his own behind in the rainy north of England. U.S. immigration know him as Joe Novak. And at the Valhalla, the mysterious complex in Vegas where he sells lofty ambition and dark desires, he goes by Mr Jones.

Since the age of eighteen, Mark has been running away, and hard. Away from everything that is flat and dull and ordinary: his market town. Away from disappointment: his vanished mother, his broken father. And away from heartbreak. Bethany Wilder, beautiful goth, carnival queen, partner in dreams, tragic ghost, never made it with him to America.

He’s thirty now and again it’s time to flee – in the opposite direction, towards home. With shades of JG Ballard, Murakami, and Joseph O’Neill, this is an inventive and emotional novel about the power of dreams to destroy, of memory to distort, and of courage, ultimately, to heal.

About this title

Review:

'So intelligent and perceptive and so well-written . . . this first novel is a fine achievement, something to savour. When I had finished it, I went back and read it again, and it seemed even better second time round.' Allan Massie, Scotsman

'Assured and unsettling.' Amber Pearson, Daily Mail

'A hugely original, unforgettable debut . . . Both gut-churning and beautifully written, this is a must read.' Easy Living

'Troubling and hypnotic.' Elle

‘Evers is exceptionally good at dialogue: the cascading monologues of a taxi driver, hairdresser and bitter photographer made me simultaneously wince in recognition and smile’ Independent on Sunday

'A deft, affecting piece of work about possibility and identity. It heralds a fresh, new voice destined to roll gold bars on the slot machine of literary life.' Sinéad Gleeson, Irish Times

‘Evers captures the frustration of adolescence and the lingering pain of careless destruction with sharp, flowing prose and a propulsive structure’ Metro

'Adept and inventive . . . A quiet triumph,' Ben East, Observer

‘Evers manages to land every dramatic punch, with a final twist that has devastating implications . . . this is a fresh and eccentric novel that isn’t afraid of attending to the broader pleasures.’ Spectator

‘Sparky, edgy and bursting with energy . . . an incredibly entertaining read’ Stylist

Book Description:

'So intelligent and perceptive and so well-written . . . this first novel is a fine achievement, something to savour. When I had finished it, I went back and read it again, and it seemed even better second time round.' Allan Massie, Scotsman

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1447207637
• ISBN 13: 9781447207634
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320