Five
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- 予約注文
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- リリース予定日：2026年5月5日
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- ¥1,500
発行者による作品情報
Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train … five minutes until someone dies.
‘Ridiculously good … darkly thrilling and unforgettable’ Chris Whitaker
‘Brilliantly propulsive … A seriously impressive novel’ Hannah Beckerman
‘Original. Urgent. Disturbing. Brilliant’ Shari Lapena
‘Insightful, emotionally punchy, wryly observed … I read it in one sitting’ Sarah Pinborough
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Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station. It will happen in the next five minutes when the 7:06 to London Victoria arrives.
Take note of their positions. The child, the mother, the businessman, the old woman and the gambler.
One of them will die despite your attachment to them. There is probably one you want to get rid of. You don’t have to admit who. But perhaps you should ask yourself why.
The train has stopped.
Someone is dead.
Was it who you chose?
It wasn’t your fault …
So why, dear reader, do you feel so guilty?
Five stories. Five minutes until a life ends. Unfolding in real time, FIVE doesn't just tell a story; it provokes, unsettles, and lingers. By weaving together the stories of those complex, flawed lives, Bannister creates a tapestry of human struggle, resilience, and hope. FIVE offers no easy answers, but rather a nuanced exploration of the human condition in all its messy complexity.
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Readers are hooked on FIVE:
'This is a sharply drawn, darkly funny, and quietly devastating character study wrapped inside a ticking‑clock thriller' Reader review *****
'What a fantastic style of writing. Unique in it's telling that had me gripped from the start … I couldn't put it down' Reader review *****
'Five stars for Five! … This is a sharp, unsettling and original novel that explores morality, judgement, addiction, motherhood and privilege with confidence and control. It stayed with me long after I finished' Reader review *****
Reviews
Praise for Ilona Bannister:
'Propulsive, sharp, and ferociously addictive, Five is one of the most original novels I’ve read in years. I devoured it quickly, but I can’t stop thinking about this story. Ilona Bannister is such a talent' Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Note and The Better Sister
About the author
ILONA BANNISTER is a New Yorker who has lived in the UK for many years with her husband and sons. She is a dual qualified US lawyer and UK solicitor and practised immigration law in the UK before she started writing fiction. Her family’s history of migration to the US, her experience as an American mother raising children in the UK, and her work as a lawyer have led her to write stories about otherness, belonging, and what it means to be on the outside of a place looking in. Her first book When I Ran Away was longlisted for the First Novel Prize in 2021.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station," begins this sharply observed suspense novel from Bannister (Little Prisons). The players are a cross-section of contemporary British commuters assembled at a train platform just outside of London. Emma, an emotionally walled-off single mother, struggles with the erratic behavior of her brilliant, neurodivergent six-year-old son, Gideon. Liam—a wealthy, controlling businessman—is also present. Mrs. Worth, a 78-year-old retired forensic pathologist, sits in silent judgment of Emma as she's burdened by her own private traumas. Sonny, a mixed-race 27-year-old battling grief and a gambling addiction, is motivated by an initially unexplained desperation that comes into focus as the action progresses. When Gideon's reckless dash toward the tracks sparks panic in the crowd, Emma and Liam rush to rescue him before they clash and Gideon lashes out at Liam. Then Mrs. Worth collapses, and tragedy ensues. The main action takes place across a condensed matter of minutes, but Bannister fleshes it out with insightful dives into her characters' pasts (some more convincing than others) and darkly funny asides from an omniscient narrator who addresses the reader directly. Bannister's compassion and gift for nerve-shredding tension make this a ride worth taking.
