Things Bright and Beautiful
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Published:7th Feb '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In the 1950s a missionary and his wife hope to bring God to a remote South Pacific island, but instead fear losing their souls . . .
'A claustrophobic compelling read that'll suck you into its heart of darkness' Independent
Advent Island in the South Pacific, with its coconut palms and thick green jungle, should be Eden for missionary Max and his young wife Bea. But plagues of insects and rats, sweltering heat and local 'devil chasers' soon turn paradise into hell on earth. Just as Bea begins to adapt to island life, an unexpected guest arrives and Advent Island turns against its would-be saviors. Trapped in the jungle with her increasingly unhinged husband, Bea must fight tooth-and-nail for her freedom, and for her life.
'Lyrical, suspenseful, darkly comic' Observer
'Excellent, blackly funny. A novel whose growing environmental and psychological horrors you can feel crawling across your skin' Daily Mail
'Phenomenally disturbing' Spectator
'Oozing with vivid descriptions and a deeply claustrophobic atmosphere . . . quite unlike anything else you'll read this year' Heat
Dark, mysterious, beguiling, and beautifully written. It transported me to a different world * Dolly Alderton *
This book is so rich in detail, the rainforest so immersive, and the characters so wonderfully odd, that I was sucked into its dark beating heart and wasn't spat out until I'd turned the final page * Claire Fuller *
Darkly comic and thrilling * Elle Magazine *
What a hot and sticky, feverishly Lord Of The Flies-style debut! The whole novel excels in rich detail - I wouldn't be surprised if English teachers use it as a masterclass in descriptive prose * The Pool *
A claustrophobiccompelling read that'll suck you into its heart of darkness * Independent *
The book abounds with lurid descriptive passages revelling in tropical ickiness ... competent and assured * Irish Times *
Phenomenally disturbing . . . With consummate imagination and technical flair, Salam contrives a crescendo of queasiness that reaches a 'tumult of madness' and manages to make Somerset Maugham's 'Rain' seem like a picnic * The Spectator *
An excellent, blackly funny debut ... a novel whose growing environmental and psychologicalhorrors you can feel crawling across your skin * Daily Mail *
A vivid account . . . The island setting and the rainforest are compellingly evoked, along with the claustrophobic backdrop of religious mania anda dysfunctional marriage - an impressive debut * Penelope Lively *
Thrilling . . . oozing with vivid descriptions and a deeplyclaustrophobic atmosphere, this debut is quite unlike anything else you'll read this year * Heat World *
Delves in directions you won't see coming, swallowing you like the darkness of the jungle, with a captivating narrative brimming with wonder, trepidation and wit * Foyles Newsletter *
Examining the true nature of religious missions and a marriage in crisis, this is a vividly drawn and powerful novel * Stylist *
A richly textured novel. Darkly humorous and atmospheric, this debut about fanaticism and marital crisis is one to watch out for * Book Riot *
Atmospheric * i *
ISBN: 9780241982259
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 18mm
Weight: 202g
288 pages