Author:Stephen Groves

2018 RUNNER-UP OF THE BODLEY HEAD | FINANCIAL TIMES ESSAY PRIZE
A timely exploration of art on the boundary of Northern Ireland’s fragile peace. Stephen Groves follows a famed Protestant artist and his Catholic accomplice as they paint the walls of Belfast’s no man’s land. Through their lives, we see a glimpse of the deep social issues which plague Northern Ireland today. Epidemics of drugs and suicide – the symptoms of internalised trauma. Is peace simply the absence of violence?
Pitch-perfect sentence by pitch-perfect sentence, Foulds weaves a quiet but harrowing tale of obsession that takes the reader into the characters’ tragic downward spiral – Dream Sequence is as good a novel as I have read in a while.
—— Lawrence Osborne, author of Beautiful AnimalsIncisively well-written and alluringly readable… This prose is truly poetic, being concise, not impasto… This novel moves like a thriller… A terrific book about the realities and delusion of fame distorting the way we live now: not to be missed.
—— Evening StandardAdam Foulds is the real deal… it’s the details of the writing itself – the precision of the word selection combined with the precision of the observation – that make for such enjoyable reading.
—— Edward Docx , GuardianThis mordantly clever story about fame, fantasy and narcissism… is deliciously funny… Foulds is a very fine writer.
—— Johanna Thomas-Corr , ObserverAn exquisitely concocted, riveting account of artistic ambition and unrequited love… Foulds is proving himself to be a very versatile writer of intelligence and charm.
—— SpectatorEveryone loves a good page-turner full of aspirational scene-setting, but few literary novelists dare to try it… [Dream Sequence] is a sexy, celeby drama… just like The Great Gatsby, this novel billows around you like a queasy dream, its grand scenery and awful characters combining to take us out of the real world and into another, oddly shimmering version of it.
—— Melissa Katsoulis , The TimesA nuanced, original and sharply observed study of fame and power… [a] spare and beautifully written novel.
—— Stephanie Cross , Daily MailFoulds's observations are spot-on and his prose is delicious sharp.
—— Economist, 1843Funny, dramatic and poignant. The final five pages of the novel resolve in a masterly poetic unification of suspense and feeling. Adam Foulds… has won many literary awards and this new work deserves to win another.
—— Lindsay Duguid , TabletAbsorbing and beautifully written, Foulds’ novel is particularly illuminating on the actor’s craft and the nature of fame.
—— Anthony Gardner , Mail on Sunday[A] lucid, richly detailed and tense novel.
—— Carl Wilkinson , Financial Times[Adam Foulds's] signature psychological sensitivity and attention to detail... shine through [in Dream Sequence].
—— Thea Lenarduzzi , Vogue, **Books to Look Out for in 2019**[Foulds] is an astute observer of behaviour and speech… acutely tuned in to his characters’ physical experience… many sentences in this book have wings.
—— Alice O'Keeffe , New StatesmanFoulds… does not disappoint with this psychological exploration that tests the limits of control.
—— Jemma Crow , UK Press Syndication[A] live-wire exploration of sex and power.
—— Anthony Cummins , MetroFoulds’s style is the instrument of a virtuoso, at once rich, resonant and startlingly precise… in sentence after perfect sentence, [he] has created something altogether more strange: an acid, amoral tale of hunger and haunting.
—— Matt Rowland Hill , Literary ReviewDream Sequence notices everything… intimate and visceral, scratching at the glossy surface of the lives of the characters and underpinning the “vacuum” they move through, together but apart.
—— Sheena Joughin , Times Literary SupplementFoulds' prose is both evocative and scrupulous… It's a novel wired with anticipation of the central characters' eventual meeting, and it doesn't disappoint.
—— Peter J. Smith , Times Higher EducationWith shades of JG Ballard, Foulds teases violent subtexts from the blandest urban environments. His polished prose fits the two empty lives perfectly… [a] chilling tale.
—— Chris Moss , ProspectRecovering fuddy-duddy Chandra is a droll creation, and his journey of self-realization feels like the real thing
—— KirkusThere's a long tradition of trying to describe the spiritual search and the ineffable mystery without sounding like a pretentious snob or a sappy Pollyanna. Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss manages to pull it off. The book tackles perennially difficult and deep questions with humor and humanity, beautiful writing, and a page-turning storyline. I gave myself over to Professor Chandra's journey as he opens himself to self-examination, family healing, and a more courageous experience of being alive
—— Elizabeth Lesser, author of New York Times bestseller BROKEN OPEN and Cofounder, Omega InstituteWitty and uplifting, this is a must-read
—— Woman's WeeklyHeartrending, hilarious, and deeply wise, this novel about the clueless Professor Chandra – emotional blockhead, Cambridge don, and Nobel-wannabe – left me in tears when I wasn’t laughing. His crash course in self-realization at 70 reveals how little he actually knows, about himself and the crazy family he loves, and that it’s never too late to grow up or follow your bliss wherever it takes you. I could not put this novel down
—— Mark Matousek, author of Sex Death Enlightenment and When You’re Falling, DiveRajeev Balasubramanyam wields considerable humor, the perfect antidote to our polarized and exhausting present, while crafting a tender and thoughtful tale. This is an absolute gem of a book
—— Shelf AwarenessI loved this beautiful beautiful book. It's tender and compassionate, it's written with exquisite care and verve and it's so so SO funny
—— Marian KeyesA heartfelt, very funny story
—— Metro, *Summer reads of 2019*[A] beautifully realised book… Very lovable
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