'Blow Your House Down is swift, spare and utterly absorbing - you'll probably read it, as I did, in one tense sitting' NEW YORK TIMES

'A courageous and disturbing novel' ELIZABETH WARD, WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD

'Despite its black humour, it is a deeply political book' BELINDA WEBB, GUARDIAN

A serial killer stalks prostitutes with profound and unexpected consequences in this riveting novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Ghost Road.

A city and its people are in the grip of a killer who is roaming the northern city, singling out prostitutes. The face of his latest victim stares out from every newspaper and billboard, haunting the women who walk the streets. But life and work go on. Brenda, with three children, can't afford to give up while Audrey, now in her forties, desperately goes on 'working the cars'.

And then, when another woman is savagely murdered, Jean, her lover, takes desperate measures . . .

* An early novel by one of England's most important contemporary novelists.

About the Author
Pat Barker was born in 1943. She was chosen in 1983 as one of the twenty 'Best of Young British' novelists and won the Booker Prize with The Ghost Road in 1995. In 2000, she received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her contribution to the literary world. Her work focuses on survival, tragedy and hope. She lives in Durham.

Reviews
Inspired by the reign of the Yorkshire Ripper, it raised a theme that would later rear its head in the media coverage of the Ipswich murders - how the serial killer is often mythologised with a label, whereas the women are just "prostitutes". Despite its black humour, it is a deeply political book -- Belinda Webb * Guardian *
Barker's creative vision is as in touch with the psychologically primordial as Melville's * Harper's *
Swift, spare, and utterly absorbing ... [Barker] makes us see her characters from within ... and thereby reveals the full individuality and humanity of women who have got short shrift both in literature and in life -- Katha Pollitt * New York Times Book Review *
Mrs. Barker's feminist argument is clear enough - sexual violence puts all women at risk, there are no ''good'' women and ''bad'' women, the victim of a sex crime is herself treated as a criminal * New York Times *
A courageous and disturbing novel -- Elizabeth Ward * Washington Post Book World *
Barker's talent for gently sifting through the hidden depths of the human psyche is awesome * Nova *
Barker's creative vision is as in touch with the psychologically primordial as Melville's * HARPER'S *
Swift, spare, and utterly absorbing ... [Barker] makes us see her characters from within... and thereby reveals the full individuality and humanity of women who have got short shrift both in literature and in life * NY TIMES BOOK REVIEW *
Barker's talent for gently sifting through the hidden depths of the human psyche is awesome * NOVA *



Book Information
ISBN 9780860683988
Author Pat Barker
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 140g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 12mm