A Very Private Life

Uncumber lives in the distant future, in a world sharply divided between ‘Insiders’ and ‘Outsiders’. The Insiders lead a privileged existence: never having to leave their homes, they enjoy a vastly prolonged lifespan, a regular supply of food and mind-altering drugs, and holographic entertainment at the push of a button. Meanwhile, the Outsiders, half-savage, inhabit a polluted wilderness of ruins and industrial waste, struggling for survival.


Uncumber has been warned never to go outside. But when she meets an Outsider on the Holovision and falls in love with him, she becomes curious and decides to venture out into the world . . .


Equal parts dystopian science fiction and brilliant social satire, Michael Frayn’s eerily prescient fourth novel A Very Private Life (1968) earned widespread critical acclaim and comparisons to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. This edition features a new introduction by the author.


‘A weird and frightening intensity.’ – Time 


‘Easily the most original thing Frayn has done . . . written with elegant simplicity.’ – New Statesman


‘An ingenious fable . . . at times poetically imaginative.’ – Sunday Times


‘An intriguing fantasy.’ – Sunday Telegraph