Popular Books by Aliya Whiteley
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The Beauty
The Beauty
paperback
Published:
1 September, 2014
Description
'This novella should win stuff. Seriously, just read it. Original work is being done. Here's proof.'
- Nina Allan, author of The Race
'What a refreshing gust of tiny spores this novella explodes into, and I inhaled them all with glee'
- Adam Nevill, author of Some Will Not Sleep
'The Beauty looks innocent. Then it knocks you over the head with some of the boldest, most transgressive ideas in modern storytelling. A post-apocalyptic fable of magic mushroom women and gender deconstruction, The Beauty is an unsettling examination of what we mean by love and family - and the lengths to which we'll go to preserve them. Wonderfully weird fiction.'
- Stephanie Saulter, author of the (R)Evolution trilogy
In a post-apocalyptic world where all the women have died a group of men and boys survive. The story shall be told to preserve the past. History has gone back to its aural roots and the power of words is strong.
Meet Nate, the storyteller, and the new secrets he brings back from the woods. William rules the group with youth and strength, but how long can that last? What about Uncle Ted, who spends so much time out in the woods? And what of mushrooms like heads, on the graves of women?
Discover the Beauty.
This story is a dark slice of the New Weird, encompassing dystopian post-apocalyptic fiction, dark fairy tale and horror. Whiteley's prose is poetic and elegiac, weaving the beautiful and macabre, etching razor- sharp observations on love, loss and what women, mothers, sisters, lovers, mean.
Prizes
Commended for James Tiptree Jr Award 2014 (United States),Short-listed for Shirley Jackson Award 2014 (United States),Short-listed for Saboteur Award 2015 (UK)
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781907389238 |
| ISBN10 | 1907389237 |
| Number Of Pages | 112 |
| Item Weight | 136 g |
| Product Dimensions | 130 x 198 x 9 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Red Squirrel Publishing |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
This novella should win stuff. Seriously, just read it. Original work is being done. Here's proof. ****
-- Nina AllanI was provoked, shocked, disgusted, touched and, ultimately, I emerged feeling wiser. A brilliant, haunting original. ****
-- Craig LinesThis is a short book with a lot to say, all of it interesting ... Most of all it's about the power of storytelling to preserve our past and shape our future, and so one can see why it would appeal to an imprint called Unsung Stories, on this evidence a name to look out for. The Beauty is intellectual and visceral, frightening and thoughtful, an adventure and a meditation. ****
-- Stephen TheakerIf I were to push one book on you from 2014, shove one book at you and say "this", it would be The Beauty. ****
-- Benjamin JudgeAliya Whiteley's elegant, dreamlike prose masterfully frames the most slippery of issues - the fluidity of gender and sexuality; history and the power of propaganda; the value of life in all its forms, and the complex, grotesque nature of desire and disgust. The deconstruction of gender roles provides a sophisticated comment on the natural passage of identity and selfhood. ****
-- Jen Wade