Sun Alley - Softcover

Cecilia Stefanescu

Softcover

ISBN 10: 190823606X ISBN 13: 9781908236067

Publisher: Istros Books, 2013

Synopsis

Sal, the protagonist of 'Sun Alley', is an exceptionally intelligent twelve-year-old boy, experiencing his first love. One summer afternoon, on his way to see his girlfriend Emi, he is caught in a rain shower and shelters in the hallway of a block of flats. Led by a strong odour, he goes down into the basement, where he comes upon the corpse of a young and very beautiful woman. Little by little, Sal will attempt to discover the mystery of this body and, at the same time, will pursue in his amorous relationship with Emi; a strange liaison which unfolds in parallel with the adulterous affair of an adult couple whose path Sal repeatedly crosses. As his love story with Emi evolves, Sal tries his best to hide it, not only from the cynical eyes of his friends in the neighbourhood, but also from his parents whose intervention might well shatter his bliss thereby developing a veritably adulterous mindset that can also be observed in the adult couple. The connections between adults and the two children, on the one hand, and the dead body discovered by Sal on the other, are far deeper and more complicated than they may at first seem. Sun Alley is a novel about the roots of adultery and the destiny of an exceptional young boy who, thanks to his gifts, has the power to see his own future in his mind s eye.

About this title

Review:

'One of the most compelling aspects of Stefanescu's novel is its systematic undermining of temporal linearity.' ''...an ambitious, at times remarkable book...' (Costica Bradatan, Times Literary Supplement). --Times Literary Supplment

'More than a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, though, Sun Alley allows the characters to grow up. In fact, what I enjoyed most about this book was the split in time. Just as we are preparing to find out what happens when Sal and Emi prepare to run away from Sun Alley together, the time period flashes suddenly forward to an adult Sal and Emi....Their childhood separation is alluded to over and over as the chapters flash back and forward in time which creates a delicious tension .... The wonderful structure conceals as much as it reveals and I started to think about how our shifting memories betray us over time.' (Isla McKetta, A Grography of Reading) --http://islamcketta.com/sun-alley-cecilia-stefanescu/

'Obsessive love and the desire for freedom....Sun Alley is a splendidly subtle piece of writing dissecting various forms of manipulations the characters resort to in order to preserve their relationships, whether as children or adults.' (A. M. Bakalar. B O D Y Literature) --http://bodyliterature.com

About the Author:

Cecilia Stefanescu made her debut with the novel Love Sick, which has been published in two editions and published in France by Éditions Phébus in 2006. The novel has also been made into a film, directed by Tudor Giurgiu, which has been shown at the Berlin Film Festival, Karlovy Vary, Chicago, and in more than twenty countries. In 2005, alongside eleven other Romanian writers, she took part in the annual Les Belles Étrangères event, organised by the Centre National du Livre and the French Ministry of Culture, which was dedicated to Romania that year. She has given public readings in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Poland; in 2007, she was the recipient of a writer s residency offered by the City Hall of Paris. She has also been published in the group anthology Windows 98 and, along with other Romanian authors, contributed to the experimental book Tescani 40238. She contributes monthly editorials to the Romanian-language edition of Elle magazine and writes for the weekly Romanian-language edition of Le Monde Diplomatique.

About this edition

• Publisher: Istros Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 190823606X
• ISBN 13: 9781908236067
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 300