Trick of the Light

Trick of the Light

by JillDawson (Author)

Synopsis

A young couple abandon the urban jungle of London's East End for a remote, mountainous corner of Washington State. Chosen by Mick, who is half-American, the place seems as alien as the moon to Rita. But she soon adjusts to raising their small daughter, Frances, in a broken-down cabin without electricity or water, and revels in the untamed beauty of their surroundings. She's scared, though, of the wild animals howling and screeching outside by night. What she cannot admit is her fear of Mick's violent temper. Worse, perhaps, are her own flashes of anger at Frances, frightening losses of control which leave her feeling shaken and guilty. Then she meets Ryan, a redneck poacher who plants in her mind the seed of rebellion. In this, her striking debut novel, Jill Dawson creates a subtle and compassionate portrait of a young mother struggling to protect her child and of a father destroyed by his own childhood.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Edition: 2
Publisher: Sceptre
Published: 20 Feb 1997

ISBN 10: 0340653833
ISBN 13: 9780340653838
Book Overview: A riveting tale exploring the complex nature of damaging relationships

Media Reviews
Excellent ... a moving, beautifully written tale * The Times *
The novel held me right to the end. I was constantly interested in Rita and her dilemma and held by the evocation of place * Margaret Forster *
Taut with narrative tension and memorable for its superb descriptions of landscape and a multitude of deft touches that always seem just right. Above all, this is a genuinely romantic novel, a double love story of love that is raw and raunchy as well as romantic * The Times *
A taut, compelling story that quells any easy theories about abusive relationships * Times Literary Supplement *
A brave and necessary novel * Daily Telegraph *
Explores a destructive relationship with vivid and compelling precision * Jane Rogers *
I loved it. To carry such threat, such danger and at the same time produce a narrative which is such a joy to read is miraculous * E A Markham *
Author Bio
Jill Dawson is the author of Trick of the Light, Magpie, Fred and Edie, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award and the Orange Prize, Wild Boy, Watch Me Disappear, which was longlisted for the Orange Prize, The Great Lover, a Richard and Judy Summer Read in 2009, Lucky Bunny and The Tell-Tale Heart. In addition she has edited six anthologies of short stories and poetry. Born in Durham, Jill Dawson grew up in Yorkshire. She has held many Fellowships, including the Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where she taught on the MA in Creative Writing course. In 2006 she received an honorary doctorate in recognition of her work. She lives in the Fens with her husband, two sons and foster daughter.