Perhaps the best novel yet about the collapse of the Berlin Wall, 'at once cinematic, intimate and epic' (The Times) - from Granta Best of British novelist Philip Hensher, author of the bestselling The Mulberry Empire.

'Pleasured begins on New Year's Eve, 1988, when a car breaks down on a road connecting West Germany and West Berlin. Inside the car are an unlikely trio - Peter Picker, an Englishman, and the two strangers to whom he is giving a lift, a student who calls herself Daphne and Friedrich Kaiser. The novel tracks their intertwined fates in the year that follows. It is, of course, no ordinary year, and it is not only the Berlin Wall which has collapsed by its end... Distinctive and consistently appealing, Philip Hensher's novels are full of mysteries to be uncovered, lies to collapse, and secrets to be dramatically revealed.' Guardian

About the Author

Philip Hensher's novels include Kitchen Venom, which won the Somerset Maugham Award, Other Lulus and The Mulberry Empire, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the WH Smith 'People's Choice' Award and highlighted by no fewer than twelve reviewers as their 'book of the year'. Chosen by Granta to appear on their prestigious, once-a-decade list of the twenty best young British novelists, Philip Hensher is also a columnist for the Independent and chief book reviewer for the Spectator. He lives in south London.

Reviews

'What starts out as a Pinteresque thriller turns out to be a rather touching love story... so good it gives you goosebumps.' Time Out

'Hensher's most ambitious novel to date, it is also his most satisfying' Alex Clarke, Guardian

'Highly original and accomplished... An engrossing read.' Barry Unsworth, Daily Telegraph

'A sublimely structured and sophisticated novel' Independent on Sunday

Book Information
ISBN 9780007180202
Author Philip Hensher
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint HarperPerennial
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 22mm