Author:Gareth Creer
Artie lives in Slipp - a tawdry, urban setting, a mixture of big estates and what's left of the old town. When his father died, he inherited the family fishmongers on the High Street. He could have hauled himself out of Slipp, gone to college, were it not for looking after his mum. Artie is a good-looking guy. He's married to the gorgeous, middle-class, university-educated Madelaine, who he's known since school. She is confident and independent and works in the theatre.
There are two big estates in Slipp at war with each other, and tensions rise as Artie gets caught up in a ugly brawl in a pub leaves the brother of one of Slipp's hard men maimed, setting off a grim and threatening chain of events.
Artie's main obsession of late is that his wife is having an affair. For some time he has been collecting evidence to trap her. He rifles her handbag, looking for telephone numbers, unfamiliar names, he inspects her underwear for signs of illicit sex, and tries to second-guess what she might be doing to cover her tracks. Gradually a picture of his paranoia begins to emerge, but equally Madelaine's behaviour is questionable.
When Artie becomes convinced that Madelaine's affair is with the local property developer, who wants Artie out of the shop, he takes matters into his own hands and as the tension of these two parallel obsessions tightens, Artie brings about his own, dramatic resolutions.
'Shocking and grimly funny... This is a book soaked in disquieting atmosphere and threaded with thrillerish tension. It is erotic; brutal in its portrayal of urban squalor and poverty; sparky and pacey. A sharp novel with a vivid contemporary feel' Lesley Glaister
A unique, imaginative and above all enjoyable tale of vampires, alchemists and fairies in New York
—— LOVEVAMPIRES.COMEngaging writing... wonderful descriptions... well-drawn characters... there's going to be a sequel and we can't wait!
—— SFX MagazineLee Carroll creates an unsuspected Manhattan touched by magic, and reinvents the epic quest in a startling contemporary way. It's Pandora's Box turned cybernetic!
—— ERIC ORMSBYEngaging writing keeps you savouring each page
—— IMAGINE FXJohn Boyne brings a completely fresh eye to the most important stories. He guides us through the realm of history and makes the journey substantial, poignant and real. He is one of the great craftsmen in contemporary literature
—— Colum McCannA superb evocation of the Great War and its very human effects
—— Choice MagazineA fiercely interrogative novel that asks not just what it means to be a man but also what it means to be a human being in the extreme circumstances of war
—— Irish TimesBoyne's fluid writing and strong characterisation brings the story to life and delivers a strong, unexpected emotional punch at the end
—— Edinburgh Evening NewsThere is an old-fashioned feeling to this readable and well-written novel
—— IndependentBoyne's twinning of the subjects of homosexuality and conscientious objection is inspired
—— MetroBoyne skillfully draws a thread through from sexual to moral to social shame... he tells a good story
—— Irish IndependentA really enjoyable, if rather sad, read, full of historical and human interest
—— Irish Sunday IndependentFelix Quinn, the narrator of the book...explains it beautifully - and this is a very good novel... Feeling unsafe makes him feel alive. And loss, of course, is the wellspring of good storytelling
—— Evening StandardThe Act of Love is an ambitious and at times extremely uncomfortable novel
—— The TelegraphIt is an almost frighteningly brilliant achievement. Why did the Booker judges not recognise it?
—— The GuardianThis is a very good novel
—— ScotsmanJacobson's 10th novel is a moving, thought-provoking and darkly witty story of desire and love
—— Irish Times
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