Falling is Like Flying
Published on 1. July 2021
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-78227-703-3 (ISBN)
Description
This is a story she never wanted to tell, but in the end she had no choice. When her older sister dies at the age of sixty-nine, it brings back a past the author thought she had left behind. Incensed, she delves back into her childhood, recreating the abusive world that she grew up in, ruled over by her tyrannical father, The Minotaur.
In a narrative by turns shockingly dark and strangely beautiful, she retraces her path through the phantasmagorical labyrinth, bringing a tale of silent trauma to a triumphant, raucous conclusion. Falling is Like Flying is an extraordinary autobiographical story of abuse and resilience, a literary triumph that reminds us what language is capable of.
In a narrative by turns shockingly dark and strangely beautiful, she retraces her path through the phantasmagorical labyrinth, bringing a tale of silent trauma to a triumphant, raucous conclusion. Falling is Like Flying is an extraordinary autobiographical story of abuse and resilience, a literary triumph that reminds us what language is capable of.
Reviews / Votes
Remarkable... Mesmerising, incantatory language * Irish Times * A memoir ultimately as uplifting as it is harrowing -- The New European Falling Is Like Flying is one of the best books I've read in years. It's unforgettable. The precision is remarkable and the language is so strong. Uphoff sings and screams, while she's turning the reality that most people prefer to see, inside out. Manon Uphoff is formidable and so is her novel -- Dorthe Nors, author of the International Booker shortlisted Mirror, Shoulder, Signal Blistering... puts words to the ineffable * TLS * Copious layers of beautiful language and imagery... Uphoff is evidently a master of language -- The Indiependent Uphoff does not mince her words: humans are like animals eternally tending to their wounds. Her incredibly sensitive, almost alchemical style contains echoes of Margaret Atwood, Maggie Nelson and Sylvia Plath * Humo * Devastates by showing that what is most painful contains great beauty as well. Falling is Like Flying is like a richly coloured stained-glass window, a starry sky of stylistic invention. * NRC Handelsblad * Manon Uphoff has succeeded in finding the language for a story that is almost impossible to tell * De Volkskrant * A captivating blend of densely expressive language and intimacy... testament to the necessity of exploring memory to reclaim, and celebrate, identity within and beyond abuse -- Dundee University Review of the ArtsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78227-703-3 (9781782277033)
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Persons
MANON UPHOFF was born in 1962 into a family of thirteen children. She left home at 16, went on to study literary theory, and is now an acclaimed artist and writer whose novels have been shortlisted for numerous prizes. Falling is Like Flying has been a literary phenomenon in the Netherlands, making 32 'Best of 2019' lists, being shortlisted for 4 awards and winning the prestigious Charlotte Koehler Prize. It is the first of Manon's books to be translated into English.