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LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023 The darkly comic new novel from the bestselling author of The Portable Veblen ‘Even funnier, even more romantic than McKenzie’s wonderful last’ Karen Joy Fowler Penny Rush has problems. Freshly divorced from her mobile knife-sharpener husband, she has returned home to Santa Barbara to deal with her grandfather, who is being moved into a retirement home by his cruel second wife. Her grandmother, meanwhile, has been found in possession of a sinister sounding weapon called ‘the scintilltor’ and something even worse in her woodshed. Penny’s parents have been missing in the Australian outback for many years now, and so Penny must deal with this spiralling family crisis alone. Enter The Dog of The North. The Dog of the North is a borrowed van, replete with yellow gingham curtains, wood panelling, a futon, a pinata, clunky brakes and difficult steering. It is also Penny’s getaway car from a failed marriage, a family in crisis and an uncertain future. This darkly, dryly comic novel follows Penny as she sets out in The Dog to find a way through the curveballs life has thrown at her and in doing so, find a way back to herself.
CONTRIBUTORS: Elizabeth McKenzieEAN: 9780008561420COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 340 gHEIGHT: 216 cm
PUBLISHED BY: HarperCollins PublishersDATE PUBLISHED: CITY: GENRE: FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Love & Romance, FICTION / Humorous / General, FICTION / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, FICTION / Crime, PSYCHOLOGY / EmotionsWIDTH: 135 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary, Crime and mystery: cosy mystery, Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Humorous fiction, Narrative theme: Interior life
‘Even funnier, even more romantic than McKenzie's wonderful last, The Portable Veblen. You will be surprised, delighted, and grateful to be aboard The Dog of the North with the admirable Penny Rush as she faces every challenge her wild and crazy family can throw at her. A book that lifts the spirits.’ Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
‘Darkly absurd and slyly insightful. A genuinely comic novel and a potent, poignant investigation into grief and the myriad ways we flailingly, failingly attempt to avoid the pains of loss. Miranda Popkey, author of Topics of Conversation
‘Gloriously entertaining, intelligent, presented with great insight and skill. An exuberant comedy of human behaviour at its nuttiest.’ The Times
Praise for The Portable Veblen…
‘Seriously funny and extraordinarily well written’ Jonathan Franzen
‘I can’t remember a book I enjoyed more’ Nina Stibbe
‘McKenzie has a wonderful eye for the craziness that is everywhere in ordinary life’ Tessa Hadley
Elizabeth McKenzie is the author of the novel The Portable Veblen, long listed for the 2016 National Book Award. Her collection, Stop That Girl, was short listed for The Story Prize, and her novel MacGregor Tells the World was a Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and Library Journal Best Book of the year. She is the editor of My Postwar Life: New Writings from Japan and Okinawa. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and the Pushcart Prize anthology, and has been recorded for NPR's Selected Shorts.
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LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023 The darkly comic new novel from the bestselling author of The Portable Veblen ‘Even funnier, even more romantic than McKenzie’s wonderful last’ Karen Joy Fowler Penny Rush has problems. Freshly divorced from her mobile knife-sharpener husband, she has returned home to Santa Barbara to deal with her grandfather, who is being moved into a retirement home by his cruel second wife. Her grandmother, meanwhile, has been found in possession of a sinister sounding weapon called ‘the scintilltor’ and something even worse in her woodshed. Penny’s parents have been missing in the Australian outback for many years now, and so Penny must deal with this spiralling family crisis alone. Enter The Dog of The North. The Dog of the North is a borrowed van, replete with yellow gingham curtains, wood panelling, a futon, a pinata, clunky brakes and difficult steering. It is also Penny’s getaway car from a failed marriage, a family in crisis and an uncertain future. This darkly, dryly comic novel follows Penny as she sets out in The Dog to find a way through the curveballs life has thrown at her and in doing so, find a way back to herself.
CONTRIBUTORS: Elizabeth McKenzieEAN: 9780008561420COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 340 gHEIGHT: 216 cm
PUBLISHED BY: HarperCollins PublishersDATE PUBLISHED: CITY: GENRE: FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Love & Romance, FICTION / Humorous / General, FICTION / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, FICTION / Crime, PSYCHOLOGY / EmotionsWIDTH: 135 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary, Crime and mystery: cosy mystery, Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Humorous fiction, Narrative theme: Interior life
Elizabeth McKenzie is the author of the novel The Portable Veblen, long listed for the 2016 National Book Award. Her collection, Stop That Girl, was short listed for The Story Prize, and her novel MacGregor Tells the World was a Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and Library Journal Best Book of the year. She is the editor of My Postwar Life: New Writings from Japan and Okinawa. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and the Pushcart Prize anthology, and has been recorded for NPR's Selected Shorts.
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Naval's insights in this book are simple yet powerful.
This book is like a guide to living well. It’s easy to read, but the ideas are deep and make you see things in a new light. Definitely a book you should keep in your bookshelf!
Kruhan Malherbe is ’n tipiese twaalfjarige wat saam met sy ouers in met ’n ou Pajero en ’n karavaan van plek tot plek deur Suid-Afrika reis en vir tye staan in karavaanparke. Die storielyn is heel kontemporêr in terme van sy ouers se beroepe wat hulle aanlyn kan beoefen en Kruhan wat ’n internasionale skoolsyllabus volg. En ook tipies van ’n knaap van sy ouderdom, volg hy nie altyd opdragte en waarskuwings nie, en is hy soms krities, teleurgesteld en verveeld met sy ouers.
Die storie skop af wanneer die gesin by Kebospark kamp opslaan, ’n vervalle karavaanpark waar vreemde karakters woon. Gou blyk dit dat die rietbos, die strandmeer en die nagapies buitengewoon is. Die skrywer verweef die magiese, die mitiese en spanningselemente vernuftig om met ’n boeiende storielyn vorendag te kom. Ek is baie ouer as die aanbevole lesers van 12 jaar en ouer, maar ek het sommer baie gretig gelees aan hierdie jeugverhaal.
In kinder- en jeugverhale soek ek altyd na brokkies lewenswysheid wat aan die lesers oorgedra kan word deur middel van ’n storie. Geheim in die riete slaag puik daarin. Wat is meer heilsaam as ‘n seun wat dapper verantwoordelikheid aanvaar vir ander se veiligheid, wat misleiding raaksien en na waarde beoordeel, en besef hoe belangrik sy ouers in werklikheid vir hom is.
Constant van Graan het bekendheid verwerf vir sy Jungu Josh reeks en aanhangers behoort hierdie nuwe boek ook te geniet.
“Enigeen kan ’n moordenaar wees. Al wat dit vat, is ’n goeie rede, en ’n slegte dag.” (p. 25) Sommer vroeg-vroeg moes ek heelhartig saamstem met hierdie sentiment van adjudant-offisier Lisamore Talakase. Ek het om die beurt ’n hele paar van die uitgebreide aanbieding van karakters oorweeg as die moordenaar, selfs die moontlikheid ondersteun dat daar inderdaad meer as een moordadige sluiper los is in Hermanus. Die tienermoorde en die ander moorde hou duidelik nie verband nie.
Koloner Bekeer se taakspan, bestaande uit Talakase, Werner de Wege en die vermaaklike Johnny Delport, maak nie hond haaraf van die twee reekse moorde nie. Die hulp van kaptein Stephan Schutte word ook ingeroep. Laasgenoemde se IT-vernuf sorg weliswaar vir ’n paar deurbrake. Die tienermoordenaar word redelik vroeg ontmasker, maar die storielyn verloor nie momentum nie. Die ander moorde sorg dat die spanningslyn geensins verslap nie.
Wegkruiper is die tipiese boek wat mens heeltemal te vinnig lees omdat jy agter die kap van die byl wil kom. Die skrywer het geduldig omgegaan met die detail van destydse gebeure wat die karakters verbind asook met die moordenaar se makabere motivering is die wreedaardige slagtings.
Christelle Wessels se vorige boeke, Adder en Brandmerk, het ek nie gelees nie, maar ek is seker dat Wegkruiper ’n stewige posisie gaan inneem onder spanningsromans. Dit is net-net aanvaarbaar vir hierdie ietwat sensitiewe leser!
Wegkruiper is uitgegee deur Penguinbooks SA
A Crown of Chains was my introduction into the literary world of Closed Door Romance books. I loved every minute of it. The characters were well written, the story made my pulse race and the main character was so strong. Loved it!