Exit Lines

Exit Lines

by JoanBarfoot (Author)

Synopsis

At three o'clock in the morning, that defenceless hour when anything feels possible, the Idyll Inn's only sounds are the low hum and thrum a building makes to keep itself going. An uneasy hour, it is also the most discreet time for unsavoury acts. If all goes well, there will be no repercussions At three o'clock in the morning, four people convene in one room to do the unthinkable. All four harbour secrets - of betrayal, sex, fear, and guilt - but all four are united in their loathing of the director of the Inn. Fuelled by Sylvia's secret wine stash, they begin to confess to past demeanours, to abandonment and hope, to questions of love and loyalty. But then one of them asks a question that no one is prepared for...Exit Lines is a wry, funny but also terribly poignant novel about life's turning points and about how we adapt and change. It is about growing old disgracefully and tackles the 'Big Questions' with a refreshing lightness of touch.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Published: 14 Aug 2008

ISBN 10: 0297847953
ISBN 13: 9780297847953
Book Overview: Perfect for reading groups - can appeal to fans of Elizabeth Buchan as well as Ali Smith, Alice Munro and Carol Shields, but also tackles big questions about women's fidelity, the aging process, charity and the value of life. Plenty of fodder for book group discussions! 'LUCK took me right out of myself - i read it in one gulp, and it never let me down' Alice Munro 'Barfoot, Booker long-listed for her novel, Critical Injuries, and admired by no less than Carol Shields and Alice Munro, is more than up to the challenge.Like the cult television series Six Feet Under and Desperate Housewives, Luck is a sustained, sardonic satire on mortality' Independent on Sunday 'From the start her comic talent is clear, while her eye for 'the miracle of life's sudden perfections' confirms her as a writer of considerable power. Luck is one of her best yet' Daily Mail Joan Barfoot has been longlisted for both the Booker and Orange prizes

Media Reviews
'Barfoot has a keen eye for the small dramas of everyday life and illustrates them with poignancy and wit. The tangled, guilt-infused relationships between parents and children are sure to ring a bell. Read it if you love a perceptive and darkly funny read.' EVE MAGAZINE 'funny and uplifting, Barfoot writes brilliantly about the cruelty of old age and infirmity, and the toughness of people who choose not to surrender.' -- KATE SAUNDERS THE TIMES The novel ends with a twist. Barfoot has life interrupt and the geriatric comrades end by saving a soul, rather than despatching one. Tomorrow there will be birthdays and cake. TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT This is powerful stuff... a poignant read that unsettles, haunts and disturbs with the best literary sensibility. -- JULIE WHEELWRIGHT THE INDEPENDENT astonishing... a dry-as-a-bone humourist and her story is distinctly black in that it deals - with an almost shocking lack of embarassment - with the subject of death, as faced by four inmates of an upmarket retirement home... offers a rigorous kind of hope... she writes about characters in a truly honest, empathetic and uncondescending way. -- ROSEMARY GORING THE HERALD - FEATURE SCOTTISH NAT DAILY NEWSPAPER darkly funny... proves a surprisingly uplifting novel from one of Canada's most sardonic but sympathetic observers of human nature...a gloriously subversive piece of fiction. -- ROSEMARY GORING THE HERALD - REVIEW Her defiant vision and the spark and bite of her shapely prose buoy the spirit VANCOUVER SUN Barfoot's clarity of insight, wicked sense of humour and zest for life shine through this darkly compelling work. THE CANADIAN PRESS This new novel will further enhance her reputation as an intelligent, stylish and original writer... Biting, sly, sardonic, are the adjectives that best describe Barfoot's voice. But Exit Lines is far more than a darkly funny and clever exercise about the plight of the elderly. It is a fine, tautly paced ensemble piece. MONTREAL GAZETTE very lively, acerbic and at times deeply moving writing...another wrothy Barfoot novel of disarming insight and complexity. THE TORONTO STAR It isn't surprising that Joan Barfoot has become an internationally recognized writer. Barfoot's work is striking, combining as it does a keen eye for a situation with a feeling for human movitivation that is impossible to fault. LONDON FREE PRESS/SUN MEDIA
Author Bio
Joan Barfoot is an internationally acclaimed novelist. Her last book, Critical Injuries was longlisted for the Booker Prize and her novel Dancing in the Dark was made into an award-winning film of the same name. She lives in London, Ontario