The Innocents
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- €0.99
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- €0.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2012
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2013
WINNER OF THE BETTY TRASK AWARD 2013
WINNER OF THE SAMI ROHR PRIZE FOR JEWISH LITERATURE 2013
What if everything you’d ever wanted was no longer enough?
Adam and Rachel are getting married at last. Childhood sweethearts whose lives and families have been intertwined for years; theirs is set to be the wedding of the year.
But then Rachel’s cousin Ellie makes an unexpected return to the family fold. Beautiful, reckless and troubled, Ellie represents everything that Adam has tried all his life to avoid – and everything that is missing from his world. As the long-awaited wedding approaches, Adam is torn between duty and temptation, security and freedom, and must make a choice that will break either one heart, or many.
'Wonderful...witty…an astonishingly accomplished debut which will draw comparisons between Segal and Zadie Smith and Monica Ali' Stylist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Segal's debut novel is an example of how one can be influenced by great writers who've come before yet not be trapped by them. Nice, reliable Adam is engaged to Rachel, the perfect Jewish girl, in a closely knit North West London Jewish community. But Rachel's free-spirited cousin Ellie, back from a scandalous time in the U.S., makes him feel not so nice and not so reliable. He falls for Ellie, but the machinations of both his fianc e and his community create obstacles to his desires. Inspired by The Age of Innocence, Segal's book is warmer, funnier, and paints a more dynamic and human portrait of a functional community that is a wonderful juxtaposition to Wharton's cold social strata in Gilded Age New York. Adam is just as much of a coward as Newland Archer, more in love with the idea of rebellion than actually capable of committing the act. Rachel echoes May Welland's passive aggressiveness, yet goes after what she wants with more courage when faced with tough choices. Ellie is far more self-aware and less of a victim than Ellen Olenska, which makes her more interesting and sympathetic. The real hero of the book is Lawrence, Adam's father-in-law, a man who deeply loves his family, appreciates the community, utilizes his "quiet faith," and is profoundly grateful for his life. The book is full of delightful moments, such as Lawrence's comment, "Any Jewish holiday can be described the same way. They tried to kill us. They failed. Let's eat." Segal took the theme of a well-known novel and made it her own. Lively and entertaining.