Ordinary Decent Criminals

Description

From the Orange Prize-winning author of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN comes a bold and savage story of the intersection of politics and human relationships, set in turbulent Northern Ireland. Having abandoned Philadelphia for the life of an international nomad, Estrin Lancaster has a taste for hot spots. She now finds herself in Belfast, a city scarred by twenty years of ritualised violence. As the former purveyor of his own bomb-disposal service, Farrell O'Phelan courts the company of destruction. Technically a Catholic, he shuns allegiance of any kind. For these two, normal life is anathema; love is a trap. What ensues is an affair between two loners who are beset with a fear of domesticity and a hunger for devastation.

Reviews

Praise for Lionel Shriver: 'Shriver proves she is not afraid of anything...' Observer 'It's a wonder that subject matter on the surface so bleak can be transformed into something so uplifting' Daily Telegraph 'You can rely on Lionel Shriver to upend your expectations' Daily Express 'Required reading for all mortals' Daily Mail '...witty, observant and beautifully controlled' Literary Review

Author description

LIONEL SHRIVER's novels include the National Book Award finalist So Much for That, the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World, the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin and the Sunday Times bestseller Big Brother. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian and the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications. She lives in London and Brooklyn, New York.