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Worth
Worth
Nov 11, 2025 10:07 AM

Author:Jon Canter

Worth

For Richard and Sarah, leaving the rat-race of London for the sleepy village of Worth feels like a dream come true. But their new life isn’t quite as idyllic as it first seems. The cottage is tiny and the neighbours are excruciating. Soon they find themselves reverse-commuting back to London on the weekends, just to be with people they like. Then Catherine moves in next door. Smart, sophisticated, beautiful Catherine seems like the answer to their prayers. But will their new best friend turn out to be their enemy?

Reviews

He is arguably the finest comic novelist working in Britain today. Indeed, he may just be the finest comic anything working in Britain right now... Canter's prose is achingly funny...it is also vital, acute, literary and oddly moving.

—— James Kidd , Independent

Brilliantly good - so precise and well-observed and witty, and also one of the few books I've ever read that manages to be both tense and funny

—— Craig Brown

Hilarious... Smart, confident and, in places, eye wateringly upfront

—— Elizabeth Buchan , Sunday Times

Powered by Jon Canter's sharp and original wit and his constantly fizzing prose...an acute and very funny novel about the perils of rural life and of falling a little bit in love with your next-door neighbour

—— Daily Mail

As an advertisement for either urban or rural living among self-satisfied characters, Worth is a toe-curling horror story; as a cheeky and well-directed poke in said characters' eyes, it's a winner

—— Independent on Sunday

Canter is a sympathetic writer and one with a keen eye and ear for the absurd. There are sentences on almost every page which raise a smile

—— Scotsman

With shades of Mike Leigh's Another Year, it's a consistently funny skewering of middle-class clichés with memorable characters and a dark twist

—— Shortlist

It's set in my favourite place (Suffolk) and I opened it at random, read a page and laughed

—— Julie Myerson , Daily Telegraph

A darkly comic read that's perfect for anyone considering chucking in city life and starting afresh

—— Sport Magazine

The author's comic take on the gap between his characters' aspirations and their shortfall makes for hilarious, snappy reading... A sermon on the perils of the rural dream, it will have estate agents blanching. But as a robust and sharp piece of fiction, it is smart, confident and, in places, eye wateringly upfront

—— Elizabeth Buchan , Sunday Times

Jon Canter is hilarious and self-deprecating, a wonderful, wise and witty writer

—— Helen Fielding

Jon Canter is a North London Woody Allen

—— Independent

Canter is a sharp writer with a wickedly dry wit

—— Metro

Hilarious…every page contains a joke

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

Metropolitan media types transplanted to Suffolk provides fertile ground for Canter’s third hilarious novel…every page contains a joke

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

Acute, horrifying and entertaining

—— The Lady

An intriguing, enlightening,and totally compelling read with surely the most unlikely hero in young people's literature

—— Rosalind Kerven , Northern Echo

Laugh-out-loud funny

—— TimeOut

...original, kind, disturbing and profoundly moving.

—— The Guardian

A stroke of genius, as the advantages of having a naive, literal-minded boy in the driving seat are manifold...we do learn what it might fe el like to have Asperger's Syndrome.

—— David Newnham, T.E.S.

A truly original work of fiction . . .a unique tale

—— York Evening Press

excellent

—— Claire Allfree , Metro Midlands

A wonderful first person narrative of a boy with Asperger;s Syndrome; funny, sad and extraordinarily original

—— Philip Ardagh , The Guardian

The highlight of the year

—— John Malam , Manchester Evening News

This is the magazine of the National Autistic Society: the review is written by someone with Asperger's Syndrome. "This book is a good murder mystery story but a better description of how th mind of a different person with some kind of special need looks upon how things work and come about.

—— Communication

This startlingly original story . . . Has surprised everyone-not least the author.The book is funny, gripping, sad and unstintingly entertaining.

—— The Age

So if you're interested in solving mysteries and want to learn about autism in children, you'll love this book

—— Carlisle News and Star

A triumph from first page to last . . . Haddon's prose is empathetic and you cannot help but be drawn into young Christpher's world

—— Dundee Evening Telegraph and Post

This is a unique book written from the perspective of a unique character . . . It is very easy to read and would satisfy anyone from eight to 88

—— The Teacher

I found this book highly entertaining and enthralling though it was a bit sad at times.

—— Books for Keeps
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