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The Bricks that Built the Houses
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Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG BREAKTHROUGH AUTHOR AWARD
Kae Tempest's critically acclaimed debut novel, the literary companion to their Mercury-Prize nominated album Everybody Down, takes us into the beating heart of the capital in this multi-generational tale of drugs, desire and belonging
'Soaring … Tempest's flair for language is tempered by their sense of rhythm and pace … Deeply affecting: cinematic in scope; touching in its empathic humanity … Tempest's voice – by turns raging and tender – never falters' New York Times
Young Londoners Becky, Harry and Leon are leaving town in a fourth-hand Ford Cortina with a suitcase full of money. They are running from jealous boyfriends, dead-end jobs, violent maniacs and disgruntled drug dealers, in the hope of escaping the restless tedium of life in south-east London – the place they have always called home.
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*This book has been printed with two different cover designs. We are unable to accept requests for a specific cover. The different covers will be assigned to orders at random*
Product details
| Published | 07 Apr 2016 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 416 |
| ISBN | 9781408857328 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury USA |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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[The Bricks that Built the Houses] marks the arrival of a significant new voice . . . deeply affecting: cinematic in scope; touching in its emphatic humanity . . . Tempest's voice--by turns raging and tender--never falters. By the time the novel reaches its cleareyed climax, cleverly undercutting its own promised happy ending, the reader is left with the impression of a work that hums with human life.
New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice
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A novel that perfectly captures the modern trials and tribulations of youth and urban life in London.
BuzzFeed
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Tempest has a knack for the devastating throwaway line--a skill-honed, no doubt, from years of rapping and spoken-word performances. [Their] work is rich with underlinable lines . . . Captivating.
New Yorker
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[Tempest is] a Zadie Smith if Smith were in her 20s again . . . An artistic prodigy . . . [Their] captivating The Bricks That Built the Houses is rich in detail, clever in plot and filled with characters who live on the edge but never quite give up.
Shelf Awareness
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With a scope that rivals Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex, Tempest juggles themes of family, history, and womanhood.
Booklist
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This is a bold, bright, beguiling novel; a lustrous pageant that dazzles and grips . . . [Tempest] may well be unstoppable.
Sunday Telegraph

























