Jeremy Hughes

Jeremy Hughes was born in Crickhowell, south Wales. He was awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales competition and his poetry was short-listed for an Eric Gregory Award. He has published two pamphlets - breathing for all my birds (2000) and The Woman Opposite (2004) - and has published poetry, short fiction, memoir and reviews widely in British and American magazines. He studied for the Master's in creative writing at the university of Oxford.

"If you've ever fantasised about someone who has wronged you getting their just deserts then this impressive debut novel by Jeremy Hughes should be right up your street...a tale devised by an original mind and told in tight, well-crafted prose. We know from the start that Tim intends to kill. That Hughes still holds the reader's attention until the final shattering revelation is a tribute to his skill."

Anita Jardine, Daily Express

"...There's a compelling inevitability that drives the novel on like a train on a track but enough suspense and surprise to make you wonder if it will ever reach its destination. And when it does arrive, it's not quite the place you expected when you climbed on board... The triumph of this novel is in the way it marries a portrayal of perfectionism with the dark compulsion of obsession. It's a compulsive read and a chilling character study of a most unusual, and yet readily comprehensible individual...a remarkable first novel that keeps you turning the page and leaves a lasting impression."

Steve Dubé, Western Mail

"It is an intriguing mixture of wood-working tips, fine art, ornithology and murder...the information is drip-fed, so that readers can make connections for themselves...handled with a great degree of skill...the novel is very well crafted, and offers an astute insight into the mind of someone driven to murder by the actions of others. It can easily withstand comparison to works such as Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory (and maybe even Use of Weapons, given the character of the Chairmaker), as well as Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho. It shows Hughes...to be equally capable of writing a good story."

Will Slocombe, Planet

"Welsh writers are inimitable. Their passion for language is as unique and bold as their national flag -- a dazzling, and quite menacing, red mythological dragon. Author Jeremy Hughes does credit to his flag. Dovetail is a wry, macabre, frightening love story...a story that will be enjoyed by anyone who likes fine carpentry made in cold blood."

Grace Cavalieri, The Washington Independent Review of Books

"Hughes is...a poet as much as a prose writer...It is

a successful horror tale - reading it, I was more than alarmed, on

several occasions...

The story is told in first person, retrospectively, so

is free to move across time and subjects, and indeed the structure of the

novel in terms of interlacing sections is one of its strongest points. We

jump from sections of active story to detailed carpentry notes on tools or

joints, to back-story, in a most natural, rhythmic way. Moreover this

interweaving has paradoxically beneficial effects: on the one hand, it

enhances the tension in the unfolding story by prolonging it; on the other, it

gives the reader intermittent relief from the horrors we sense are about to

occur...

In Tim/Sebastian, Hughes has created a very distinctive narrator...The tension builds magnificently towards the end...

The potential is there for all sorts of endings, all probably horrific. I found myself slowing significantly in my reading here. Each page-turn was an effort, and it wasn't because I was losing interest. It was because I was scared. Just as Tim's beautiful contraption is designed to appallingly surprise its victim, so is Hughes's book. I didn't guess what would happen, and I was indeed surprised."

Catherine Merriman New Welsh Review

Reviews of WINGSPAN

"Hughes brings all the precision of a poet to a beautifully crafted tale."

Daily Express

Jeremy Hughes is one of the more interesting writers to emerge from Wales in recent years. His first novel Dovetail, held us spellbound...His second novel Wingspan could not provide more of a contrast. It is a quiet and reflective work which tells a tale of loss and discovery...

Readers of Jeremy's first novel 'Dovetail' may be surprised by the contrast in thematic material and content but this only demonstrates his extreme versatility as a writer. What both novels have in common is that they are beautifully crafted and a delight to read. A former 'Book of the Day' selection on the Welsh American Bookstore, this title comes highly recommended.

Ceri Shaw, welsh-american-bookstore.com