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Description
In an alternate world where nobody won WWII, three brothers are the only boys left in an orphanage whose dark secret is the reason for their existence—and the key to their survival—from the acclaimed author of Pet.
After a very different outcome to WWII than the one history recorded, 1979 England is a country ruled by a government whose aims have sinister underpinnings and alliances. In the Hampshire countryside, 13-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents at the Captain Scott Home for Boys, where every day they must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. The lucky ones who recover are allowed to move to Margate, a seaside resort of mythical proportions.
In nearby Exeter, 13-year-old Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who dote on her but never let her leave the house. As the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, bringing to light a horrifying truth about their origins and their likely fate, the children must unite to escape – and survive.
After a very different outcome to WWII than the one history recorded, 1979 England is a country ruled by a government whose aims have sinister underpinnings and alliances. In the Hampshire countryside, 13-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents at the Captain Scott Home for Boys, where every day they must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. The lucky ones who recover are allowed to move to Margate, a seaside resort of mythical proportions.
In nearby Exeter, 13-year-old Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who dote on her but never let her leave the house. As the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, bringing to light a horrifying truth about their origins and their likely fate, the children must unite to escape – and survive.
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Praise
“What a book! Tense, inventive, mysterious and moving, The Book of Guilt poses big questions in the context of a rocketing plot. I loved it completely.”
—Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
“I raced through Catherine Chidgey’s latest in awe of her trademark gifts: propulsive plotting, psychological acuity, and a knack for the uncanny. But it’s the novel’s moral questions that linger long after reading – as explored through the voices of children whom society has deemed expendable. The Book of Guilt literally infiltrated my dreams, as it will yours.”
—Tania James, author of Loot
“Eloquent prose, rich characterizations, and knotty concepts – an emotional and intellectual tour de force.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
PRAISE FOR THE AXEMAN'S CARNIVAL
"Gorgeously haunting." —Library Journal, starred review
"Gorgeously haunting." —Library Journal, starred review
PRAISE FOR PET
"Sharp-edged, deliciously dark." —Slate
- BEST OF THE YEAR: WASHINGTON POST, NEW YORKER, SLATE, CRIMEREADS, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, AMAZON BOOK REVIEW
- NYT EDITORS' CHOICE
"Sharp-edged, deliciously dark." —Slate
PRAISE FOR REMOTE SYMPATHY
"Chidgey is a writer of formidable resources, a deft stylist posessed of uncanny imaginative acuity." —The Guardian
- LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
- SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD
"Chidgey is a writer of formidable resources, a deft stylist posessed of uncanny imaginative acuity." —The Guardian
"Highly original and deeply researched, Catherine Chidgey's REMOTE SYMPATHY is a powerful and disturbing study in terrible lies and the human need to believe them . . . Few readers will close the covers of this book unshaken."
—Annie Proulx, author of Barkskins
"A vital turn in Holocaust literature."
—Publisher's Weekly, starred review