Putney

A bold, thought-provoking novel that will compel and disquiet in equal measure, about the moral lines we tread, the stories we tell ourselves and the secrets we bury; 'the best novel of 2018, by far' (Cressida Connolly, Spectator) A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 - CHOSEN BY THE OBSERVER, NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR 1970s London. Ralph, an up-and-coming composer, has gone to visit Edmund Greenslay in his riverside home. At the heart of the house’s wild bliss he finds Edmund’s nine-year-old daughter Daphne, flitting, sprite-like, through the house’s colourful rooms and unruly garden. From the moment their lives collide Ralph is consumed by an obsession to make Daphne his. Decades later, Daphne watches her own daughter come of age and is confronted with the truth of her own childhood – and a devastating act of violence that has lain hidden for decades.

About the Author :
Sofka Zinovieff was born in London. She studied social anthropology at Cambridge, then lived in Greece and Moscow. She is the acclaimed author of three works of non-fiction, Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens, Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life and The Mad Boy, Lord Berners, My Grandmother and Me, a New York Times Editors’ Choice 2015, and one previous novel, The House on Paradise Street. Her writing has appeared in publications including the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, the Times Literary Supplement, the Spectator and the Independent. She divides her time between Athens and England. sofkazinovieff.com

Review :
Certain books worm their way into your soul, grabbing you from the opening paragraph and holding you in their grip until the final page has been turned. Sofka Zinovieff’s Putney is just such a book, compelling the reader from its atmospheric opening until its bruising, bittersweet end Smart and gripping Among the hottest books of this blazing summer Accomplished, timely and unusually well-wrought Zinovieff handles this difficult subject with control, insight, wisdom and sympathy … For anyone who came of age in that era, this can be an uncomfortable read, as well as an utterly fascinating one. I think it’s the best novel of 2018, by far Sofka Zinovieff writes about this moral minefield with the necessary sensitivity, inhabiting her characters so convincingly that the conclusion is all the more chilling Delves deep into the discussions surrounding consent and abuse of power. Zinovieff has written a contemporary Lolita in which the rules of engagement have changed, women are speaking out about the ways they have been misused and the Humbert Humberts face prosecution and disgrace … Zinovieff is skilled at evoking the shifting moral and social terrain ... Richly drawn and convincingly realised This superb novel from the highly regarded Zinovieff dissects every moral ambiguity ... Zinovieff twists the reader’s sympathy to and fro, until the final revelation. Over and above the central subject, this is a finely nuanced study of the way different people make subjective sense of the past, and a reminder that the novel (like the analyst’s couch) is a great space for thinking about the unthinkable Zinovieff’s dark and disturbing novel delicately probes the lines between abuse and consent in this atmospheric, intelligent and ambiguous story Unputdownable: a modern classic A disturbing, well-structured, nuanced story that provides no simple answers – an important addition to an urgent, current conversation Involving, beautifully written, and subtle … There are terribly difficult questions here, dealt with sensitively and intelligently Lolita for the age of #MeToo ... It delves deep into the discussions surrounding consent and abuse of power … Zinovieff is skilled at evoking the shifting moral and social terrain while never letting us forget that none of that can be an excuse … the two main players are richly drawn, the strange, sad bond that exists between them convincingly realised I read this greedily over the course of a day ... On obsession, abuse and atonement via three memory threads with complex and provocative consequences. A powerful - and timely - examination of desire and permission, innocence versus experience. "All children liked secrets, didn’t they..?" Zinovieff writes with poise and sophistication The ultimate taboo brought to life in a way that’s thrillingly disturbing and evocative. I couldn’t leave it This is a really important book. I loved it. Thought provoking, emotionally complex, and tackling the topic of the day - the blurred area between consent and abuse This book is truly memorable and thought-provoking; throughout, Zinovieff sustains wonderfully perplexing and complex ambiguities. What is love, and what is exploitation? What is truth and what is self-deception? What is righteousness and what is hypocrisy? Can contradictions be simultaneously true? It’s a great story and a riveting read. I’ll remember the characters forever I read it at one go, unable to put it down, until 2am ... It's remarkable, a brilliant novel, jolting and shocking and right Superb ... It is really something. Zinovieff treats the tricky subject with admirable dispassion I read this novel with huge enjoyment … It is a terrific novel and I look forward to reading it many more times The reader is as deftly manipulated as the child. Pacy and illuminating