Blood Kin

Blood Kin

by Ceridwen Dovey (Author)

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize

A chef, a portraitist and a barber are taken hostage in a coup to overthrow their boss, the President. They are held captive in a palatial retreat in the mountains high above the capital city. Far below them, chaos tears through the streets. The chef's daughter, the portraitist's wife and the barber's lover watch their men from the shadows. In such precarious times, intimate relationships are as dangerous as political ones. As the old order falls, so does the veil that hides the truth about these men and women's secret passions. Drawing her readers masterfully towards the novel's devastating climax, Ceridwen Dovey reveals how humanity's most atavistic impulses - vanity, vengeance and greed - seethe, relentlessly, just beneath the veneer of civility.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Edition: Main - Print on Demand
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Published: 01 May 2008

ISBN 10: 1843546582
ISBN 13: 9781843546580
Book Overview: Rejacketed and relaunched, Ceridwen Dovey's unforgettable and gripping novel is now in paperback, its natural format: 'Blood Kin is a fable of the arrogance of power, beneath whose dreamlike surface swirl currents of complex sensuality, male and (particularly) female.' J. M. Coetzee

Media Reviews
Ceridwen Dovey's mesmerising novel lifts the lid on a dictatorship and its perilous aftermath... Although it's tightly controlled, there is a hypnotic, languorous feel to the writing - even as the conclusion circles with the impatience of vultures over carrion. -- Catherine Taylor * Guardian *
The prose is sensuous and restrained, the gaze piercing and relentless. Dovey exposes not only the arrogance of power, but also the human heart's dark adoration of the powerful. -- Hisham Matar * Observer *
Tense and dramatic... Dovey draws strong, vivid characters and her keen eye for signposting detail...gives a sensual counterpoint to the ruthless logic of her subtly heralded denouement. -- James Urquhart * Independent *
An excellently sculpted indictment of avarice, lust and human misery. * Glasgow Herald *
A superb character study... An Orwellian fable that is as masterful as it is entertaining. A notable debut, perfectly formed. * Sunday Business Post *
Author Bio
Ceridwen Dovey's debut novel, Blood Kin, was published in fifteen countries, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and selected for the U.S. National Book Foundation's prestigious 5 Under 35 honours list. She studied social anthropology at Harvard and New York University, and now lives with her husband and son in Sydney. Only the Animals won the 2014 Readings New Australian Writing Award. Her website is www.ceridwendovey.com