Author:Guy Burt
It was the end of term at Our Glorious School. Most of the pupils were preparing to return home; some were going away on a geography field trip. But for five members of the sixth form, it sounded more fun to embark upon what their friend and mentor Martyn called 'an experiment with real life' - to spend three days together in The Hole, a windowless cellar room in an unfrequented part of the school buildings. Martyn was to lock them in, and in three days he would come and let them out again.
At first, it all seemed quite a laugh - eating and drinking, jokes and banter. Solid Mike and dependable Liz, Geoff with his secret supplies of booze, irritating Frankie and delicate Alex - what a story they would have to tell when Martyn came to release them! How surprised and admiring their friends would be!
But three days passed, and Martyn did not return...
The Hole is a dark and menacing first novel, written when the author was still at school. Compulsive and claustrophobic in quality, it has been compared to John Fowles's The Collector.
'Gripping stuff...An impressive debut'
—— Time Out'Compulsively sinister'
—— The TimesOpening a new book by Graham Greene is like settling into a gran turismo car. Nothing will go wrong
—— Sunday TimesIt is hard to imagine a more thorough-goingly enjoyable thriller read
—— The Sunday TimesHarris had me imaginatively surrounded. I am lost in admiration at his energy and skill
—— Boris Johnson, Mail on SundaySince The Usual Suspects, novels and movies have become obsessed with the trick ending but .Insolently resisting this trend Harris has brought off a known-ending story
—— GuardianA sophisticated thriller that takes in its stride the conventions of the historical novel, Pompeii deserves the place it will undoubtedly have at the top of the bestseller list.
—— Times Literary SupplementBlazingly exciting... Harris, as Vesuvius explodes, gives full vent to his genius for thrilling narrative... pulse-rate-speeding masterpieces of suffocating suspense and searing action
—— Sunday TimesRobert Harris's Pompeii is his best yet: as explosive as Etna, as addictive as a thriller, as satisfying as great history - Simon Sebag Montefiore 'Books of the Year'
—— Daily TelegraphBreakneck pace, constant jeopardy and subtle twists of plot... a blazing blockbuster
—— Daily MailHarris has done a tremendous job in evoking life in ancient Italy... I am lost in admiration at his energy and skill
—— Mail on SundayThe long drawn-out death agony of the two cities is brilliantly done. Explosive stuff indeed
—— Daily TelegraphGripping, topical and dauntingly intelligent
—— Sunday TimesA stunning novel... The subtlety and power of its construction holds our attention to the end
—— The TimesA whole community, buried in volcanic ash 2000 years ago, has been brought to life... Stirring and absorbing
—— Sunday TelegraphA supremely good piece of storytelling, most impressively researched
—— The GuardianBritain’s leading thriller writer … Explosive stuff, indeed – and yes, it goes with a bang
—— Tom Holland , Daily TelegraphThe depth of the research in the book is staggering … Pompeii is indeed a blazing blockbuster
—— Simon Brett , Daily MailThe final 100 pages are terrific, as good as anything Harris has done ... Stirring and absorbing
—— David Robson , Sunday TelegraphPompeii by Robert Harris was another triumph … put together with the skill of a craftsman
—— David Robson , Sunday TelegraphRobert Harris's Pompeii is his best yet: as explosive as Etna, as addictive as a thriller, as satisfying as great history
—— Simon Sebag Montefiore , Daily TelegraphMcCarthy's descriptions of nature and of the everyday details of the era are vivid, surprising and true. And while the writing is often beautiful and ornate, the story has a bracing, Beckett-like severity
—— Irish Times
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