In her garden, ensconced in the lush vegetation of the Western Cape, Clare Wald, world-renowned author, mother, critic, takes up her pen and confronts her life. Sam Leroux has returned to South Africa to embark upon a project that will establish his reputation - he is to write Clare's biography. But how honest is she prepared to be? Was she complicit in crimes lurking in South Africa's past; is she an accomplice or a victim? Are her crimes against her family real or imagined? In the stories she weaves and the truth just below the surface of her shimmering prose, lie Sam's own ghosts.

'A wonderfully constructed and gripping novel about betrayal and shadows in South Africa' AS Byatt, Guardian, 'Books of the Year' Following the critical acclaim for his astonishing debut novel, Flanery has confirmed himself as one of the brightest rising literary stars

About the Author
Patrick Flanery was born in California in 1975 and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. After earning a BFA in Film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts he worked for three years in the film industry before moving to the UK, where he completed a doctorate in Twentieth-Century English Literature at the University of Oxford. As well as publishing scholarly articles on British and South African literature and film in a number of academic journals, he has written for Slightly Foxed and The Times Literary Supplement. He lives in London.

Reviews

Absolution is a bold calling card from a major new writer

* Independent on Sunday, 'Books of the Year' *
Patrick Flanery is an exceptionally gifted novelist, and he is just getting started -- Philip Gourevitch * New Yorker *
Flanery's portrayal of South Africa is explosively powerful... An exceptionally intelligent, multi-layered novel encompassing politics, history, a gripping storyline and complex characters. It has absorbing depictions of grief, guilt, parenthood and sibling rivalry, and is beautifully written... Absolution is an exceptional book. * Independent *
A taut literary thriller set in South Africa... A very clever, beautifully written book where the reader is constantly adjusting to nothing being as it seems. * Daily Mail *
Compelling... At times, Flanery's prose evokes Graham Greene... A literary thriller whose writing is consistently first class. * Observer *
Gripping... The prose surges with enjoyable debate about the slipperiness of truth, the nature of forgiveness... Impressive * Sunday Telegraph *


Awards
Winner of SPEAR'S FIRST BEST BOOK AWARD 2012 (UK). Short-listed for IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2014 (UK). Long-listed for DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE 2012 (UK) and GUARDIAN BOOK AWARD 2012 (UK) and GREEN CARNATION PRIZE 2012 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780857892027
Author Patrick Flanery
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Atlantic Books
Publisher Atlantic Books
Weight(grams) 370g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 29mm