There but for the - Ali Smith

There but for the is the sparkling satirical novel by bestselling Ali Smith 'There once was a man who one night between the main course and the sweet at a dinner party went upstairs and locked himself in one of the bedrooms of the house of the people who were giving the dinner party . . .' As time passes by and the consequences of this stranger's actions ripple outwards touching the owners the guests the neighbours and the whole country so Ali Smith draws us into a beautiful strange place where everyone is so much more than they at first appear. There but for the was hailed as one of the best books of 2011 by Jeanette Winterson A.S. Byatt Patrick Ness Sebastian Barry Boyd Tonkin Erica Wagner and Nick Barley. 'Dazzlingly inventive' A.S. Byatt 'Whimsically devastating. Playful humorous serious profoundly clever and profoundly affecting' Guardian 'A real gem' Erica Wagner The Times 'Eccentric adventurous intoxicating dazzling. This is a novel with serious ambitions that remains huge fun to read' Literary Review 'If you liked Smith's earlier fiction you will know that she enjoys setting up a situation before chucking in a literary Molotov cocktail then describing what happens' Sunday Express 'Wonderful word-playful compelling' Jeanette Winterson 'Smith can make anything happen which is why she is one of our most exciting writers today' Daily Telegraph 'I take my hat off to Ali Smith. Her writing lifts the soul' Evening Standard

TITLE: There but for the

AUTHOR: Ali Smith

SKU: 9780241961957

PUBLISHER: Penguin Books Ltd

DATE PUBLISHED: 05/07/2012

PLACE PUBLISHED: United Kingdom

PAGES: 384

BINDING: Paperback / softback

LANGUAGE: English

DIMENSIONS: 111 mm x 181 mm x 23 mm

WEIGHT: 202 gr