About The End of Loneliness
The international bestseller, translated by the award-winning translator of The Tobacconist, Charlotte Collins
Winner of the European Union Prize for Literature
I've known Death a long time but now Death knows me.
When their idyllic childhood is shattered by the sudden death of their parents, siblings Marty, Liz and Jules are sent to a bleak state boarding school. Once there, the orphans' lives change tracks: Marty throws himself into academic life; Liz is drawn to dark forms of escapism; and Jules transforms from a vivacious child to a withdrawn teenager.
The only one who can bring him out of his shell is his mysterious classmate Alva, who hides a dark past of her own, but despite their obvious love for one another, the two leave school on separate paths.
Years later, just as it seems that they can make amends for time wasted, the past catches up with them, and fate - or chance - will once again alter the course of a life.
Told through the fractured lives of the siblings, The End of Loneliness is a heartfelt, enriching novel about loss and loneliness, family and love.
My review of The End of Loneliness
This book completely touched my heart. It is such a heartfelt, and beautiful story that spans the generations. It talks of love, of kindness, of what it means to be alone and the courage it takes to be loved. This is such a gentle, yet powerful read that drew me in and shook me up. But by the end I was made whole again.
The book tells of sibling love, and of how that love changes through the decades. We grow up, we become different people, yet the bond between siblings remain and this book so eloquently depicts this love. We read about Jules, Marty and Liz in both the past and future, and it was both heartachigly beautiful and nostalgic to learn of how they were as children, and who they had become as adults.
The book is told from the perspective of Jules, at the beginning of the book he is in hospital after having suffered an accident, and we are then transported back and forth in time to learn of his story. I loved the way in which the story was told in both the past and present, helping me to understand what had happened, while gaining some much needed insight.
At the very heart of this story though is the love story, the elastic bond between Jules and Alva. Oh, these two together on the page was pure magic, the writing subtle and full of longing, need and understanding. Their love was that kind that is born from friendship and the need to simply be together, this is the story of who they were and who they became.
The End of Loneliness is a captivating read that is simply quite beautiful. Jules will stay with me for a very long time. I won't easily forget this story.
The End of Loneliness waa published by Sceptre on 8th March. It can be found on Amazon here
With thanks to the publisher and Bookbridgr for my paperback copy for review purposes.
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