Blood Kin - Softcover

Dovey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843546582 ISBN 13: 9781843546580

Publisher: Atlantic Books, 2008

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize

A chef, a portraitist and a barber are taken hostage in a coup to overthrow their boss, the President. They are held captive in a palatial retreat in the mountains high above the capital city. Far below them, chaos tears through the streets. The chef's daughter, the portraitist's wife and the barber's lover watch their men from the shadows. In such precarious times, intimate relationships are as dangerous as political ones. As the old order falls, so does the veil that hides the truth about these men and women's secret passions. Drawing her readers masterfully towards the novel's devastating climax, Ceridwen Dovey reveals how humanity's most atavistic impulses - vanity, vengeance and greed - seethe, relentlessly, just beneath the veneer of civility.

About this title

About the Author

Ceridwen Dovey's debut novel, Blood Kin, was published in fifteen countries, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and selected for the U.S. National Book Foundation's prestigious 5 Under 35 honours list. She studied social anthropology at Harvard and New York University, and now lives with her husband and son in Sydney.Only the Animals won the 2014 Readings New Australian Writing Award. Her website is www.ceridwendovey.com

From the Back Cover

'Blood Kin is a fable of the arrogance of power, beneath whose dreamlike surface swirl currents of complex sensuality.' J. M. Coetzee, author of Disgrace

In this enthralling fable, a chef, a portraitist and a barber are taken hostage in a coup to overthrow their boss, the President of a nameless country. They are held captive in a palatial retreat in the mountains high above the capital city. Meanwhile, the chef's daughter, the portraitist's pregnant wife and the barber's lover watch their men from the shadows - for in such precarious times, intimate relationships are as dangerous as political ones. As the old order falls, so does the veil that hides the truth about these men and women's secret passions. Drawing her readers masterfully towards the novel's devastating climax, Ceridwen Dovey reveals how humanity's most atavistic impulses - vanity, vengeance and greed - seethe, relentlessly, just beneath the surface of everyday life.

'Ceridwen Dovey's mesmerising novel lifts the lid on a dictatorship and its perilous aftermath... There is a hypnotic, languorous feel to the writing - even as the conclusion circles with the impatience of vultures over carrion.' Catherine Taylor, Guardian

'An excellently sculpted indictment of avarice, lust and human misery.' Glasgow Herald

'Superb... An Orwellian fable that is as masterful as it is entertaining.' Sunday Business Post

Edition details

• Publisher: Atlantic Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843546582
• ISBN 13: 9781843546580
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192