The Gravity of Birds
Published on 6. August 2013
400 pages
978-0-00-748841-4 (ISBN)
Description
How do you find someone who wants to be lost?
Sisters Alice and Natalie were once close, but adolescence has wrenched them apart. Alice loves books and birds in equal measure whilst Natalie, the beautiful one, is sexy and manipulative, effortlessly captivating men.
On their lakeside family holiday, Alice falls under the thrall of the enigmatic next-door-neighbour, a struggling young painter. Natalie seems strangely unmoved by the charismatic stranger in their midst. She tolerates the family sittings for the portrait Thomas is painting with a barely disguised distaste. But as the family portrait nears completion, the family dynamics shift irrevocably. And by the end of the summer, three lives are shattered.
Four decades later, the only thing that remains of that fateful summer is a painting of the sisters. The artist is determined to take the secrets of the girls to the grave, but his close friend decides to use the painting to beat a path to the past before it closes the door on them all for good...
A haunting, unforgettable debut about family, forbidden love and long-buried secrets.
Sisters Alice and Natalie were once close, but adolescence has wrenched them apart. Alice loves books and birds in equal measure whilst Natalie, the beautiful one, is sexy and manipulative, effortlessly captivating men.
On their lakeside family holiday, Alice falls under the thrall of the enigmatic next-door-neighbour, a struggling young painter. Natalie seems strangely unmoved by the charismatic stranger in their midst. She tolerates the family sittings for the portrait Thomas is painting with a barely disguised distaste. But as the family portrait nears completion, the family dynamics shift irrevocably. And by the end of the summer, three lives are shattered.
Four decades later, the only thing that remains of that fateful summer is a painting of the sisters. The artist is determined to take the secrets of the girls to the grave, but his close friend decides to use the painting to beat a path to the past before it closes the door on them all for good...
A haunting, unforgettable debut about family, forbidden love and long-buried secrets.
Reviews / Votes
'A fabulous debut' Stylist 'I really loved it! A deep and compelling page-turning story handled with the lightest of touches. It's gone straight to the place on my bookshelf reserved for my favourite reads'Louise Douglas, author of The Secrets Between Us 'The Gravity of Birds is a beautifully written book, splattered with painterly language as befits the art world this beguiling story inhabits'
Kathleen MacMahon, author of This is How it Ends 'A beautifully written, compelling story. I absolutely loved it'
Lucy Clarke, author of The Sea Sisters 'One of those rare, exquisitely written novels that haunt you long after you've finished the last page. It is a novel not to be missed'
Alyson Richman, author of The Lost Wife 'Part mystery, part psychological drama and intriguing love story. This is a stunning debut'
Ellen Sussman, author of French Lessons 'A richly textured novel' Oprah 'A riveting debut' Good Housekeeping
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Reflowable
File size
0,99 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-00-748841-4 (9780007488414)
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
Tracy Guzeman | Eric Meyers
The Gravity of Birds
Audio
09/2013
HarperCollins
€116.40
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Person
Tracy Guzeman lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her fiction has been published in Gulf Coast, Vestal Review and Glimmer Train Stories, and performed as part of the New Short Fiction Series Emerging Voices Group Show. The Gravity of Birds is her first novel.
