Glass
Published on 12. February 2015
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-84668-967-3 (ISBN)
Description
Glass is pure. Glass is transparent. Glass is sharp.
Guenter Glass, ex-milkman and aspiring window-cleaner, is certainly pure. And he's pretty transparent. But the jury's still out on how sharp he is.
What naive young Guenter does have is a head for heights and, ever since he visited a glassblower's workshop as a child, an unusual fixation with glass. When a minor adventure up the spire of Salisbury Cathedral makes Guenter a local celebrity, John Blades - window-cleaner to the stars - comes calling. He wants Guenter to join him in London to clean Europe's tallest skyscraper, the newly constructed Shard in London Bridge.
With his mother recently passed away, his dad retired and no money to pay off the mortgage, Guenter takes Blades up on his offer and soon finds himself, for the first time, among the bright lights of London. He has his first experience of romantic love with short-range psychic Lieve Toureau, tries not to encourage Blades' frequent racist outbursts, and cohabits a Hackney 'bachelor-pad' with a reclusive landlord who has spent decades writing a never-ending book in his cork-lined bedroom. But above all, Guenter spends his time trying to figure out how to be good and follow his dear departed mother's advice as best he can.
Will Guenter find his way along the straight and narrow? Or will his innocence put him on collision course with the frequently baffling modern world?
Guenter Glass, ex-milkman and aspiring window-cleaner, is certainly pure. And he's pretty transparent. But the jury's still out on how sharp he is.
What naive young Guenter does have is a head for heights and, ever since he visited a glassblower's workshop as a child, an unusual fixation with glass. When a minor adventure up the spire of Salisbury Cathedral makes Guenter a local celebrity, John Blades - window-cleaner to the stars - comes calling. He wants Guenter to join him in London to clean Europe's tallest skyscraper, the newly constructed Shard in London Bridge.
With his mother recently passed away, his dad retired and no money to pay off the mortgage, Guenter takes Blades up on his offer and soon finds himself, for the first time, among the bright lights of London. He has his first experience of romantic love with short-range psychic Lieve Toureau, tries not to encourage Blades' frequent racist outbursts, and cohabits a Hackney 'bachelor-pad' with a reclusive landlord who has spent decades writing a never-ending book in his cork-lined bedroom. But above all, Guenter spends his time trying to figure out how to be good and follow his dear departed mother's advice as best he can.
Will Guenter find his way along the straight and narrow? Or will his innocence put him on collision course with the frequently baffling modern world?
Reviews / Votes
A rare novel ... rollicking -- Josephine Livingstone * Dazed & Confused * Christofi's debut novel is both charming and funny, and not a little affecting, too ... there's enough here to show you the author has plenty more to offer and that, like his hero, he definitely has his heart in the right place. * Daily Mail * This first novel makes me want to use words like "sparkling", "sharp", "translucent" - not surprising, since it is about glass and one man's obsession with it ... Christofi's writing really does gleam with wit, inventiveness and an offbeat charm. -- Kate Saunders * The Times * Eccentricity ... alongside raw emotion ... a promising debut from an intriguing new voice. * We Love This Book * It's a tale about growing up, one that's as funny as it is touching. A talent to keep an eye on. * Shortlist * A confident and frequently adroit first novel ... enjoyably mercurial and quixotic * Morning Star * Charming, quirky, unexpected ... Christofi is a writer to watch. Witty and incredibly inventive. * Saga * [An] impressive, tightly paced coming-of-age story ... Armed with a holster of toxic cleaning products and a simple desire to become a better window cleaner, Gunter is part James Bond, part Everyman. Christofi delivers a multi-layered story that follows one man's refracted path through life's prism. -- Zoe Apostolides * Financial Times * Entertaining and affecting -- Russell Leadbetter * Herald Scotland * By far the most fun I've had with a British debut novel since Ned Beauman's Boxer, Beetle ... The comedic, mock-picaresque approach should appeal to fans of Beauman, Joshua Ferris, Matthew Quick, or even the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner ... With a first novel this good, great things are surely in store for Alex Christofi. I daresay you'll take Guenter Glass to your heart and follow his misadventures with rapt amusement. -- Rebecca Foster * BookHugger * A moving, funny coming-of-age tale -- Max Wallis * Independent * A debut novel it may be, but Alex Christofi's opening salvo is a confident, swaggering entrance into the literary world ... Skilfully swinging from brilliantly funny to dark morbidity, Christofi deisplays considerable mastery of his craft ... An accomplished opening effort from a writer well worth keeping an eye on. -- Colm O'Regan * Hot Press * A thoughtful, comic look at an ordinary life lived well -- Jenn Ashworth * Guardian *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 144 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
414 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84668-967-3 (9781846689673)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Alex Christofi was born and grew up in Dorset. After reading English at the University of Oxford, he moved to London to work in publishing. He has written a number of short pieces for theatre, and blogs about arts and culture for Prospect magazine. Glass is his first novel.