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Alys, Always
Authors Club Best First Novel, 2012
‘A marvellous novel. I absolutely adored it … So subtle, funny, tender and so miraculously observed … Utterly brilliant’ Jilly Cooper
‘Amazing . . . chillingly brilliant’ RED
‘A superbly disquieting psychological thriller … Mordantly funny, yet chilling, this tale of an ordinary woman inveigling her way into a position of power is compulsive reading’ SPECTATOR
They have everything she wants…
Frances is a thirty-something lowly sub-editor, but her routine, colourless existence is disrupted one winter evening when she happens upon the aftermath of a car crash and hears the last words of the driver, Alys Kyte.
When Alys’s family makes contact in an attempt to find closure, Frances is given a tantalising glimpse of a very different world: one of privilege and possibility. The relationships she builds with the Kytes will have an impact on her own life, both professionally and personally, as Frances dares to wonder whether she might now become a player in her own right …
‘A suspensful portrait of the outsider and a satisfyingly bitchy send-up of literary London’ GUARDIAN
‘Frances is a fascinating creation: determined, deceitful, intriguingly complex and believably drawn … This deeply unsettling but eminently readable story is one that will linger in the memory‘ OBSERVER
‘Lane’s take on contemporary class is so sharply observed that it becomes almost satirical: the perennial theme of social climbing gets a superb new treatment in her highly entertaining, slightly chilling tale of a cuckoo in the nest’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Superbly, even poetically written with an almost feverish hyper-realism, this All About Eve for our times misses no telling detail of the difference between the entitled and unentitled classes… A brilliant idea, brilliantly realised. I loved it, I loved it. I’ve run out of superlatives and all that remains to say is that I wish I was you; I wish I hadn’t read it and had that pleasure to come’ Wendy Holden DAILY MAIL
‘Amazing . . . chillingly brilliant’ RED
‘A superbly disquieting psychological thriller … Mordantly funny, yet chilling, this tale of an ordinary woman inveigling her way into a position of power is compulsive reading’ SPECTATOR
They have everything she wants…
Frances is a thirty-something lowly sub-editor, but her routine, colourless existence is disrupted one winter evening when she happens upon the aftermath of a car crash and hears the last words of the driver, Alys Kyte.
When Alys’s family makes contact in an attempt to find closure, Frances is given a tantalising glimpse of a very different world: one of privilege and possibility. The relationships she builds with the Kytes will have an impact on her own life, both professionally and personally, as Frances dares to wonder whether she might now become a player in her own right …
‘A suspensful portrait of the outsider and a satisfyingly bitchy send-up of literary London’ GUARDIAN
‘Frances is a fascinating creation: determined, deceitful, intriguingly complex and believably drawn … This deeply unsettling but eminently readable story is one that will linger in the memory‘ OBSERVER
‘Lane’s take on contemporary class is so sharply observed that it becomes almost satirical: the perennial theme of social climbing gets a superb new treatment in her highly entertaining, slightly chilling tale of a cuckoo in the nest’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Superbly, even poetically written with an almost feverish hyper-realism, this All About Eve for our times misses no telling detail of the difference between the entitled and unentitled classes… A brilliant idea, brilliantly realised. I loved it, I loved it. I’ve run out of superlatives and all that remains to say is that I wish I was you; I wish I hadn’t read it and had that pleasure to come’ Wendy Holden DAILY MAIL
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Reviews
This seductive novel is as sinuous, sharp-eyed, shrewd and controlled as its opportunistic heroine - a terrific read.
A marvellous novel. I absolutely adored it... So subtle, funny, tender and so miraculously observed... Utterly brilliant
One of the literary debuts of 2012, Harriet Lane's stylish thriller combines an unreliable female narrator with some sly satire at the expense of literary London.
It's uneasy but intriguing reading thanks to the accurate illustration of her middle class characters.
highly entertaining and squirm-inducing..."Howards End" meets "All About Eve"
Wonderfully observed... Lane has her landscape forensically mapped. This is a gripping, psychologically complex achievement, whose greatest success is the lingering sense of unease
She writes with both elegance and clarity, she balances suspense with acute observation, and she understands her characters, their relationships, the worlds they move in absolutely perfectly.
This intriguing first novel, set in the leafy groves of bookish Highgate in North London is a morality tale with a dark sinister undercurrent to rival that of Alan Hollinghurst's "The Line of Beauty
Hugely enjoyable debut about 30-something Frances Thorpe, a lowly sub-editor on the books pages of a Sunday paper who suddenly and unexpectedly comes into contact with the family of a Man Booker prize-winning author - and there sees an opportunity. Barbara Vine-esque stuff
A gripping debut. Frances Thorpe leads a mundane life until the day she stops to help at a roadside accident. But, as this clever novel unfolds, it becomes clear that the seemingly boring Frances is capable of seizing an opportunity
Mesmerisingly told
Alys, Always is Lane's debut novel. Her ability to build suspense and to slowly reveal aspects of character makes her one to watch.
Harriet Lane brilliantly skewers the sycophancy that surrounds the wealthy and successful, allowing their inner circle to bask in the same intoxicating glow. The reader is reeled in hook, line and sinker
A clever and original story by an amusing and interesting new novelist
Unsettling, unfussy and unputdownable
Unputdownable
If I could have a novel made to order; like a Savile Row suit, it would probably be this one... Superbly, even poetically written with an almost feverish hyper-realism, this All About Eve for our times misses no telling detail of the difference between the entitled and unentitled classes... A brilliant idea, brilliantly realised. I loved it, I loved it. I've run out of superlatives and all that remains to say is that I wish I was you; I wish I hadn't read it and had that pleasure to come
A subtle, beautifully observed and exquisitely written novel - the sort of book you read in one beguiling go.
A dark and delicious thriller, Alys, Always, the first novel by Harriet Lane, is a book you immediately want to pass on to all your friends.
Worthy of Daphne du Maurier, this is the book I wish I'd written.
Harriet Lane's Alys, Always is a superbly disquieting psychological thriller...Lane is a formidable wordsmith, and the literary world is conjured up in all its delicious, gossipy hierarchy...Mordantly funny, yet chilling, this tale of an ordinary woman inveigling her way into a position of power is compulsive reading
Lane's take on contemporary class is so sharply observed that it becomes almost satirical: the perennial theme of social climbing gets a superb new treatment in her highly entertaining, chilling tale of a cuckoo in the nest.
Harriet Lane's take on contemporary class is so sharply observed that it becomes almost satirical: the perennial theme of social climbing gets a superb new treatment in her highly entertaining, slightly chilling tale of a cuckoo in the nest
This is a very concise and acute psychological study, at times drily funny...always expertly observed, perfectly paced and smoothly finished off...a novel of skill, elegance and flair, one in which cool calculation and subtle manipulation move, as a cloud in front of the sun, to chill and unsettle, that suddenly cast shade revealing what in full light had been carefully concealed. What is not hidden is Harriet Lane's talent - this is a brilliant debut!
this book really is that rarest of creatures, a sort of literary unicorn: a stunning debut... The writing is tight, it's compulsively readable and brilliantly controlled. Harriet Lane has a deft economy when it comes to recording scenes descriptions and dialogue. It is utterly believable in all respects
a suspenseful portrait of the outsider and a satisfyingly bitchy send-up of literary London
Harriet Lane's exceptional first novel matches the twisted motivations of Sophie Hannah to the social satire of Amanda Craig's A Vicious Circle. In Frances she has created a character Daphne du Maurier might have been proud of: vulnerable, manipulative, resourceful, chippy, but one of us
Spot on social satire, chilling psychodrama and terrific writing - Lane knows of whereof she speaks.
this novel begins with a bang and delivers all sorts of surprises, but also manages some acute and moving observations about bereavement and grief. A very fine debut. Lane works out her dramatic premise with great originality
Horror, mystery and romance coalesce magically in this impressive debut.
Dark, cynical and unpredictable
Both clever satire on the (north) London literary scene and compelling thriller worthy of Patricia Highsmith, [Alys, Always] is unshowy and modest... Highly recommended
Harriet Lane's novel of deceit and opportunism proves to be a dark delight.
This chilling and accomplished debut is in classic Ruth Rendell territory. Crucially, the author knows the trick of what to leave out, and of how to tantalise...Frances finds herself admitted to the inner sanctum of London literary life, about which the author, who knows whereof she writes, is most amusing... Lovely, sensuous prose
Amazing; chillingly brilliant
A compelling fiction debut about a family tragedy. Patricia Highsmith would be proud. Mysterious and suspenseful
Frances is a fascinating creation: determined, deceitful, intriguingly complex and believably drawn...This deeply unsettling but eminently readable story is one that will linger in the memory
Chilling and compulsive, this psychological novel immediately draws you in... Brilliantly crafted and sharply observed, this first novel with its sense of unease and apprehension holds your attention from the beginning to the end. It will stay with you for a long time.
Lane's narrative voice is captivating, absorbing the reader almost immediately and throughout the novel's various episodes of entanglement, separation and high drama...and her characters are quirky and believable individuals. Alys, Always is a fine portrayal of how people deal with loss and learn to accept "the tinpot vulnerability of human existence"
This is a creepy, cold novel in the tradition of Patricia Highsmith. It's perfectly executed.
An un-putdownable novel that forces you to revise your initial assumptions.
The novel has the momentum of a thriller but not at the expense of an economical lyricism - there is a lovely assurance to the writing... It is a novel that will unsettle and make your heart dip, long after you have put it aside.
This accomplished debut is a fantastic read
A brilliant debut novel about a disturbed hack.
This darkly subtle debut impresses with its du Maurieresque style.
A gripping portrait of the lengths to which one woman will go to improve her lot
As this subtle, ingenious, completely absorbing tale progresses, a chilling and uneasy menace develops just below the surface.