Two Dark Tales: Jack Squat and The Niche - Softcover

Charles Lambert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1910709298 ISBN 13: 9781910709290

Publisher: Aardvark Bureau, 2017

Synopsis

A pair of disturbing novellas from the master of the literary uncanny

There are four ways in but no way out...

In Jack Squat , unemployed Gordon and his partner Omar see a money-making opportunity helping expats buy homes in southern Italy. But their scheme catches up with them after the first home they sell, curiously built with four entrances but no connecting doors inside, is revealed to have a dark history.

In The Niche , mercilessly bullied schoolboy Billy Lender finds a hiding place in a nook in the school corridor and begins to hear whispers: the voice of a mysterious friend who will help him to plot a devastating revenge.

‘Gripping’ Attitude Magazine
‘Jack Squat ... A charming, elegantly written novella. [...] The Niche... Deeply poignant.’ TLS
‘Odd, disturbing and original... two elegant novellas.’ Sunday Express
‘Genuinely horrifying, but subtle and unique’ The Literary Sofa

About this title

Review:

'In these expertly-crafted stories the consequences of moral corrosion are truly frightening. There are terrible things in the shadows and we made them. Charles Lambert is a terrific, devious storyteller.' --Owen King, author of Double Feature

Praise for Charles Lambert and The Children's Home:
'Charles Lambert could one day attain classic status.' --Maggie Gee
'Charles Lambert is a seriously good writer' --Dame Beryl Bainbridge

This disquieting novel is surely one of the year's most bizarre stories... Mr. Lambert's subtle prose enhances the novel's creepiness, as does his refusal to fully resolve or explain its many mysteries.'--New York Times
'Compulsively readable, a one-of-a-kind literary horror story' --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author:

Charles Lambert is the author of several novels, short stories, and the memoir With a Zero at its Heart , which was voted one of The Guardian readers Ten Best Books of the Year in 2014. In 2007, he won an O. Henry Award for his short story The Scent of Cinnamon. His first novel, Little Monsters, was longlisted for the 2010 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Born in England, Charles Lambert has lived in central Italy since 1980.

About this edition

• Publisher: Aardvark Bureau
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1910709298
• ISBN 13: 9781910709290
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176