A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR ⢠A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR ⢠A METRO BOOK OF THE YEAR
âThe yearâs must read novelâThe Times
âOne of the most important books youâll pick up this decadeâHarperâs Bazaar
âAn outstanding book that could be this yearâs âA Little LifeGuardian
âYou think youâre invincible. You think you wonât ever miss. We need to put the fear on you. You need to surrender yourself to death before you ever begin, and accept your life as a state of grace, and then and only then will you be good enough.â
At 14, Turtle Alveston knows the use of every gun on her wall;That chaos is coming and only the strong will survive it;That her daddy loves her more than anything else in this world.And heâll do whatever it takes to keep her with him.
She doesnât know why she feels so different from the other girls at school;Why the line between love and pain can be so hard to see;Why making a friend may be the bravest and most terrifying thing she has ever doneAnd what her daddy will do when he finds out âŚ
Sometimes strength is not the same as courage.Sometimes leaving is not the only way to escape.Sometimes surviving isn't enough.
I guarantee this book will take your breath awayâThis book has challenged me like no other. Itâs a masterpiece. A work of art on a page. â Joanna Cannon, author ofThe Trouble with Goats and Sheep
Exceptional, unflinching storytellingâBrutal yet beautiful, has floored me. Dear Turtle, a heroine amidst the horror. â Ali Landâ, author ofMy Absolute DarlingGood Me Bad Me
utterly thrillingâAn incandescent novel with an extraordinary, unforgettable heroine, both deeply contemplative and â â Thriller of the monthObserver
âThere are echoes of Maâs bravery in Emma Donoghueâs , or the resilience of Cormac McCarthyâs protagonists as they struggle to stay alive. Tallentâs world is shocking in the truest sense of the wordâRoomIrish Times
An utterly fantastic read.â Every page is brimming with energy. And Turtle Alveston is as enthralling a character as Iâve encountered in a good long whileâ Kevin Powers, author ofThe Yellow Birds