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Since childhood, Sandra Peters has been fascinated by the small, private island of Lieloh, home to the reclusive silent-film star Valerie Swanson. Having dreamed of going to art college, Sandra is now in her forties and working as a receptionist, but she still harbours artistic ambitions. When she sees an advert for a two-week artists' retreat on Lieloh, Sandra sets out on what might be a life-changing journey.
About the author
Alison Moore's first novel,
The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Awards (New Writer of the Year), winning the McKitterick Prize. Both
The Lighthouse and her second novel,
He Wants, were
Observer Books of the Year. Her short fiction has been included in
Best British Short Stories and
Best British Horror anthologies, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra and collected in
The Pre-War House and Other Stories. Born in Manchester in 1971, she lives near Nottingham with her husband Dan and son Arthur.
Report
Novels set on islands have a habit of taking nasty turns, as this example slyly acknowledges. But readers of Alison Moore's Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse will know that her speciality is slow-building unease rather than obvious jump scares. So it is with this, which follows two frustrated creatives, painter Sandra and novelist Carol, as they seek inspiration on two adjacent, isolated islands.
Stephanie Cross Daily Mail
