What Red Was
‘One of the most powerful debuts you’ll ever read’ (Stylist)
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- 8,99 €
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- 8,99 €
Publisher Description
'An urgent story told beautifully' - Dolly Alderton
'Gripping, unflinching and elegant' - Sophie Mackintosh
A powerful, unforgettable story about modern love, privilege and a young woman's journey after her life falls apart.
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When Kate meets Max in the first week of university, a life-changing friendship begins. Over the next four years, the two become inseparable. But loving Max means knowing his family: the wealthy Rippons, all generosity, social ease and quiet repression.
Theirs is not Kate's world, and yet she finds herself drawn quickly into their gilded lives, and the secrets that lie beneath. Until one summer evening at the Rippons' home, just after graduation, her life is shattered in a bedroom while a party goes on downstairs.
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An Observer Hottest-Tipped Debut Novelist and Elle One To Watch
'Unforgettable...subversive and sophisticated' Elle
'Outstanding...brilliantly told' Observer
'A writer with a voice as fresh as new paint... Beautiful' The Times
'One of the most powerful debuts you'll ever read' Stylist
'Scorching and original' Sunday Times, Style
'Dazzling... Enthralling' Alexandra Kleeman
'Unputdownable... A powerful and haunting tale' Independent
'If you like David Nicholls, Elizabeth Day, Donna Tartt...it's exceptional' Pandora Sykes
'Compelling... Price's prose glimmers' Mail on Sunday
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Class, sexual assault and consequence collide in Rosie Price’s provocative debut. Much of the novel is an honest exploration of the problems of privilege as we follow the friendship of Max Rippon and Kate Quaile—two students from wildly different upbringings. But it is the London author’s prose detailing the human body where Price truly excels. The delicate subject of rape is unflinchingly described which makes for uncomfortable but necessary reading as Price forces us to question the significance of speaking out. With the poetic style of Donna Tartt, winding narrative of David Nicholls and urgency of a debut written amidst #MeToo, Price demonstrates she is a fresh voice shining a light on female trauma.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two young adult friends uneasily navigate the aftermath of sexual assault in Price's searing debut. Kate Quaile meets Max Rippon during their first year of university in Gloucestershire, and the two bond over a shared love of film and quiet nights in. Kate's upbringing in council housing with her divorced mother, Alison, a recovering alcoholic, clashes with the wealth of Max's family, especially the old money of his grandmother's lavish country estate. Despite differences, Kate is welcomed by his family, including his mother, Zara, an acclaimed feminist film director, even if they do not fully understand Kate and Max's platonic friendship. During a summer party at the Rippons' London home, Max's churlish cousin Lewis rapes Kate. She hesitantly discloses her assault, first to Zara and then to Max, without naming her attacker. Zara insists on paying for therapy and providing her with contacts in the film industry for work while Max provides emotional support. As Kate begins her lurching recovery, Max deals with his grandmother's death and the family complications fed by their strong repression of uncomfortable emotions. Price has a sure hand in her depiction of the disruption that the trauma causes to Kate's life. This powerful novel handles its explosive plot with an admirable delicacy and offers an emotional portrait of friendship.
