Author:Jonathan Coe

The House of Sleep - Jonathan Coe's comic tale of love and obsession
Sarah is a narcoleptic who has dreams so vivid she mistakes them for real events; Robert has his life changed for ever by the misunderstandings arising from her condition; Terry, the insomniac, spends his wakeful nights fuelling his obsession with movies; and the increasingly unstable Dr Gregory Dudden sees sleep as a life-shortening disease which must be eradicated. . .
A group of students sharing a house. They fall in and out of love, they drift apart. Yet a decade later they are drawn back together by a series of coincidences involving their obsession with sleep - and each other. . .
Winner of the 1998 Prix Médicis Étranger, The House of Sleep is an intensely moving and frequently hilarious novel about love, obsession and sleep.
'Moving, clever, pleasurable, smart...one of the best books of the year' Malcolm Bradbury, The Times
'There are bits that make you laugh out loud and others that make your heart ache' Guardian
'Fiercely clever, witty, wise, hopeful...a compellingly beautiful tale of love and loss' The Times Literary Supplement
Jonathan Coe's novels are filled with biting political satire, moving and astute observations of life and hilarious set pieces that have made him one of the most popular writers of his generation. His other titles, The Accidental Woman, The Rotters' Club (winner of the Everyman Wodehouse prize), The Closed Circle, The Dwarves of Death, What a Carve Up! (winner of the 1995 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize) and The Rain Before it Falls, are all available as Penguin paperback.
Cunningly plotted, extremely well-written and very, very funny
—— Daily TelegraphAs funny and as well-written as you'd expect. It is archly and artfully structured too
—— ProspectGripping, well-researched and elegantly written
—— Rosamund Urwin , Evening Standard, Books of the YearThis courageous and interesting author is that unusual thing, a contemporary moralist
—— Rachel Cusk , GuardianBold, brave, and uncomfortable… it's a gripping read
—— ObserverThe subject matter is brave, the moral perspective complex, the writing vivid
—— Lionel Shriver , Mail on SundayWeston has an unwavering passion for the truth as well as the courage to tell it.
—— Ian Thomson , Sunday Telegraph (Seven)Weston excels at writing about medicine precisely…but with great subtlety of tone that allows readers to appreciate the human faultlines that lie beneath conventional portraits of doctoring.
—— Vivienne Parry , The TimesWeston is a superb writer of lucid and evocative prose… This is not a dark book so much as a deeply thoughtful one
—— IndependentFew writers capture the mentality of surgery as incisively as Ms Weston has managed to. Her experiences in hospitals are palpable on the page.
—— EconomistHighly intense… Impressive stuff.
—— Doug Johnstone , Big IssueExtremely powerful.
—— The SkinnyExtraordinarily powerful.
—— Reading MattersAn important and thought-provoking book.
—— Farmlane BooksWill certainly raise questions for further thought by the reader even after putting the book down.
—— We Love This BookIntense.
—— Victoria Burt , UK Regional Press SyndicationThe subject matter is brave and necessary… Weston is a superb writer of lucid and evocative prose… This is not a dark book so much as a deeply thoughtful one. I would make it obligatory for the medical curriculum.
—— Leyla Senai , IndependentGripping, well-researched and elegantly written – but definitely not for the squeamish.
—— Rosamund Urwin , Evening StandardScalpel-sharp.
—— Ian Thomson , ObserverWeston’s fast-paced novel raises questions of integrity, morality and medical ethics.
—— ListA powerful piece of writing.
—— UK Press SyndicationDirty Work is a fascinating, thought-provoking and at times deeply troubling tale. Weston presents a balanced and brutally honest portrayal of a difficult theme.
—— Ray Clarke , ENT & Audiology NewsVisceral and moving.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardLachyrymachismo. The art of being weepy and tough at the same time. This book has it in spades. Or rather buckets.
—— Private EyeThe great thing about Roddy Doyle is his ear for the demotic… The Guts is a good read.
—— Melanie McDonagh , Evening StandardDoyle explores post-boom Ireland with gusto.
—— Claire Coughlan , Sunday Independent, IrelandUnsurprisingly, every bit as good as the original [The Commitments], Doyle is one of those rare writers who never disappoints
—— Socialist UnityWise, wistful and poignant.
—— Sebastian Shakespeare , TatlerBittersweet.
—— Justine Taylor , Guardian OnlineLong-awaited sequel.
—— Mark Perryman , Huffington PostDoyle’s ear for dialogue is as acute as ever and there’s a lot of amusing asides about contemporary life in this revisiting of much-loved characters.
—— Irish IndependentA book full of Doyle's dark humour mixed with melancholy and wonderful moments of sheer madness.
—— Good Book GuideThe feat of The Guts is Doyle’s ability to create in Jimmy a character who hangs together even while so many of his certainties have collapsed. And to get a few good jokes in as well.
—— Mark Athitakis , Washington Post