The gripping psychological suspense novel from the bestselling author of APPLE TREE YARD, also a hit BBC series starring Emily Watson
SHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN LLEWELYN RHYS PRIZE
Annette, Joan, and Helly have little in common beyond the drudgery of their London office job - and the man who runs it. Their boss is charming when he needs to be, but beneath the surface lies something far more dangerous: manipulation, corruption, and a quiet threat that none of them can escape.
As bomb scares rattle the city and daily life begins to fracture, the pressure inside the office mounts. Small compromises turn large. Loyalties shift. And when the women find themselves drawn into their boss’s increasingly sinister schemes, the line between victim and accomplice - employer and employee - begins to blur.
Darkly funny, unsettling, and sharply observed, Crazy Paving is a story of three women who are forced to ditch everything for an offensive of their own, only to find the cruellest circumstances can make heroines of us all…
Like most offices, theirs is full of intrigue, sexual desire and blackmail - and everybody thinks it is somebody else's turn to make the coffee.
PRAISE FOR LOUISE DOUGHTY:
'Few first novels are as confident and accomplished as Louise Doughty's darkly funny debut...often touching, always incisive, and moves along at a spanking pace' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Attention to comic detail reminiscent of Margaret Atwood...brave, haunting and hilarious' TIME OUT
'Fresh, original, funny and sad...' DEBORAH MOGGACH
'Wonderfully witty, and filled with lively and convincing dialogue and vibrant characters - a black comedy for our times' MALCOLM BRADBURY
About the Author :
Louise Doughty is the author of five novels, CRAZY PAVING, DANCE WITH ME, HONEY-DEW, FIRES IN THE DARK and STONE CRADLE. CRAZY PAVING was shortlisted for four awards including the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize and FIRES IN THE DARK won awards from the Arts Council of England and the K.Blundell Trust. She is also a recipient of an Ian St. James prize and a Radio Times Drama Award. She has written five plays for radio and worked widely as a journalist and broadcaster in London, where she lives.
