The Letter Bearer - Softcover

Robert Allison

3.24

200 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847088260 ISBN 13: 9781847088260

Publisher: Granta, 2015

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The Rider has no memory of who he is, or how he came to be lying - dying - in the brutal heat of the North African desert. Rescued by a band of deserters, the Rider begins to piece together his identity, based on shards of recollection and the letters in his post bag. The Letter Bearer is unlike any other novel of World War Two. It asks profound questions about trauma, warfare and the experience of desertion. This gripping story asks us to consider how men build hope when they have nothing left - not even a name.

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Review:

'This is a tremendous second world war novel. With thickets of intense, opaque prose and some striking, hallucinatory descriptions of the desert... Allison writes powerfully - often thrillingly - about the nitty-gritty of conflict. A finely crafted debut' --Financial Times

'Allison's debut is a beautifully written investigation into alienation, guilt and the will to survive. The desert is a character itself, brilliantly alive and vividly depicted. This is a gripping exploration of one man's travails - and through him, those of millions other men trapped in the terrible mechanism of war' --Independent

'An excellent and elegant novel written with patience and authority... Alison succeeds by keeping the dialogue terse, the emotional range narrow, and the prose consistent and anchored to realism... this is what makes a compelling novel' --Chris Cleave, chair of the Desmond Elliott Prize judges

'Allison's debut takes its readers into the dark heart of war... Haunting, poignant and delivered with an unerring eye for detail. The literature of war is as old as war itself and this harrowing novel is a fine addition to it' **** --Sunday Telegraph

'Allison's debut takes its readers into the dark heart of war... Haunting, poignant and delivered with an unerring eye for detail. The literature of war is as old as war itself and this harrowing novel is a fine addition to it' **** --Sunday Telegraph

'There are so many things to love and admire about this novel: its unusual focus on a band of army deserters during the Second World War is refreshing in eschewing heroism for a start. Its balancing of psychological depth and authentic geographical detail is lovely and perfectly pitched. Allison's astonishing debut is one of the more original and quite unforgettable takes on the war' ***** --Paperback review, Independent on Sunday

About the Author:

ROBERT ALLISON has been a theatre director, a film and music reviewer and a copy-editor. He lives in London.

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