Staff Pick
In the blink of an eye, life can drastically change through no doing of your own, and this is precisely what happens to Joe when he and a group of other people try to avert a hot air balloon accident. A study in OCD, this gripping story is based on a real-life case of De Clerambault's syndrome: a homo-erotic obsession with religious overtones. Jed begins to stalk Joe, and his obsession threatens every aspect of Joe's life. Written with a sense of deep foreboding, this is one of my favorite novels despite, or perhaps due to, its overwhelming creepiness. Fantastic! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
**AS FEATURED ON BBC2'S BETWEEN THE COVERS**
Discover the tragic masterpiece from Booker prize-winning, Sunday Times bestselling Ian McEwan.
One windy spring day in the Chilterns Joe Rose's calm, organised life is shattered by a ballooning accident. The afternoon could have ended in mere tragedy, but for his brief meeting with Jed Parry. Unknown to Joe, something passes between them - something that gives birth in Parry to an obsession so powerful that it will test to the limits Joe's beloved scientific rationalism, threaten the love of his wife Clarissa and drive him to the brink of murder and madness.
'A plot so engrossing that it seems reckless to pick the book up in the evening if you plan to get any sleep that night' A.S. Byatt