Wish You Were Here

Learning that his long-absent brother has been killed in combat in Iraq, Jack Luxton, a proprietor of a seaside caravan park, shares a poignant journey with his wife to reclaim his brother's remains and confront painful memories. By the Booker Prize-winning author of Last Orders. Read by John Lee. Simultaneous.

"Exquisite . . . Jamesian in sensibility and to some degree in style, [Swift] finds tragedy in the most ordinary conversation. . . . . You forget how piercing this sort of thing can be until you see Swift doing it so well, and with such patience. The depth of field in a Swift novel, thematically and emotionally, is vast. At his best, he suggests that looking intently at the smallest, most mundane thing can yield a glimpse into the meaning of life. . . . Beautifully made . . . [an] abundance of subtlety, tenderness and fluid prose."
--Stacey D'Erasmo, "The New York Times Book Review"
"An extraordinary novel, the work of an artist with profound insight into human nature and the mature talent to deliver it. . . . As every truly great novelist does, in this new book, [Swift] demonstrates that perfect coordination between style and story. . . . [A] honed and driven story. Honestly, I can't remember when I cared so passionately about how a novel might end."
--Ron Charles, "The Washington Post"
"Vivid, emotionally raw . . . Swift is a writer who clearly revels in dialogue and nuance, and in Jack he has crafted a marvelously rich character whose quiet, outwardly closed-off nature belies profound internal turmoil. . . . Thoughtful and sensitive."
--Michael Patrick Brady, "The Boston Globe"
"Powerful . . . This perfectly titled novel is about longing for the people in our lives who have died . . . Like Swift's Waterland, this book explores the ways the past haunts us, and, like his Booker Prize-winning Last Orders, it uses a death as a provocation for the examination of self and country . . . Recommended for fans of Ian McEwan, Michael Ondaatje, and Kazuo Ishiguro."
--Evelyn Beck, "Library Journal"
"Part ghost story, part whodunit, part tour d'horizon of a nation that seems to have lost faith in tradition and history, it is also a deeply human tale about a man driven to the edge. Praise be for a serious novel that dares to look cur

"An extraordinary novel, the work of an artist with profound insight into human nature and the mature talent to deliver it." --"The Washington Post"
"Exquisite. . . . Beautifully made...[an] abundance of subtlety, tenderness and fluid prose." --"The New York Times Book Review
""Vivid, emotionally raw . . . Swift is a writer who clearly revels in dialogue and nuance. . . . Thoughtful and sensitive." "--The Boston Globe
""Mr. Swift's writing is as strong as ever, recalling the descriptive beauty of his highly acclaimed "Waterland" and Booker Award-winning "Last Orders."" "--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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"As every truly great novelist does, in this new book, [Swift] demonstrates that perfect coordination between style and story. . . . [A] honed and driven story. Honestly, I can't remember when I cared so passionately about how a novel might end."" --Ron Charles, The Washington Post
""Jamesian in sensibility and to some degree in style, [Swift] finds tragedy in the most ordinary conversation. . . . . You forget how piercing this sort of thing can be until you see Swift doing it so well, and with such patience. The depth of field in a Swift novel, thematically and emotionally, is vast. At his best, he suggests that looking intently at the smallest, most mundane thing can yield a glimpse into the meaning of life."" --The New York Times Book Review
""A rich, stereoscopic portrait of the book's hero, Jack Luxton. . . . Swift knows that in reality we occupy a wealth of experiences, past and present, mundane and memorable. His strength in this fine novel is showing how all those experiences inescapably collide within us. As he puts it, "the place known as 'away from it all' simply doesn't exist."" --Minneapolis Star-Tribune
""Heart-wrenching and gripping, Swift's novel takes one man's grief and uses it as a prism for the suffering of an entire nation." "--Mail on Sunday
""Part ghost story, part whodunit, part tour d'horizon of a nation that seems to have lost faith in tradition and history, it is also a deeply human tale about a man driven to the edge. Praise be for a serious novel that dares to look current affairs in the face." --The Times (London)
"One of Swift's most accomplished works yet. . . . A writerly novel that pushes us deep into the writer's craft. . . . That Swift should be considered among the ranks of the literary greats is surely no longer in doubt." "--Culture Mob
""Magnificent . . . This is a substantial work, but not a sentence too long . . . Unafraid of emotion, though without a moment of sentimentality, Swift brilliantly conveys the confusion of a man and wife trapped by their unspoken fears." "--Sunday Herald (Scotland)
""With unmistakable echoes of Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster. . . . He exercises a compelling mastery of tone and trajectory. . . . Emotionally gripping." "--The Times Literary Supplement"

An extraordinary novel, the work of an artist with profound insight into human nature and the mature talent to deliver it. The Washington Post
Exquisite. . . . Beautifully made [an] abundance of subtlety, tenderness and fluid prose. The New York Times Book Review
Vivid, emotionally raw . . . Swift is a writer who clearly revels in dialogue and nuance. . . . Thoughtful and sensitive. The Boston Globe
Mr. Swift's writing is as strong as ever, recalling the descriptive beauty of his highly acclaimed Waterland and Booker Award-winning Last Orders. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As every truly great novelist does, in this new book, [Swift] demonstrates that perfect coordination between style and story. . . . [A] honed and driven story. Honestly, I can t remember when I cared so passionately about how a novel might end. Ron Charles, The Washington Post
Jamesian in sensibility and to some degree in style, [Swift] finds tragedy in the most ordinary conversation. . . . . You forget how piercing this sort of thing can be until you see Swift doing it so well, and with such patience. The depth of field in a Swift novel, thematically and emotionally, is vast. At his best, he suggests that looking intently at the smallest, most mundane thing can yield a glimpse into the meaning of life. The New York Times Book Review
A rich, stereoscopic portrait of the book s hero, Jack Luxton. . . . Swift knows that in reality we occupy a wealth of experiences, past and present, mundane and memorable. His strength in this fine novel is showing how all those experiences inescapably collide within us. As he puts it, "the place known as 'away from it all' simply doesn't exist." Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Heart-wrenching and gripping, Swift s novel takes one man s grief and uses it as a prism for the suffering of an entire nation. Mail on Sunday
Part ghost story, part whodunit, part tour d horizon of a nation that seems to have lost faith in tradition and history, it is also a deeply human tale about a man driven to the edge. Praise be for a serious novel that dares to look current affairs in the face. The Times (London)
One of Swift s most accomplished works yet. . . . A writerly novel that pushes us deep into the writer s craft. . . . That Swift should be considered among the ranks of the literary greats is surely no longer in doubt. Culture Mob
Magnificent . . . This is a substantial work, but not a sentence too long . . . Unafraid of emotion, though without a moment of sentimentality, Swift brilliantly conveys the confusion of a man and wife trapped by their unspoken fears. Sunday Herald (Scotland)
With unmistakable echoes of Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster. . . . He exercises a compelling mastery of tone and trajectory. . . . Emotionally gripping. The Times Literary Supplement

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