Death and the Seaside
by Alison Moore
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Description
"With an abandoned degree behind her and a thirtieth birthday approaching, amateur writer Bonnie Falls moves out of her parents' home into a nearby flat. Her landlady, Sylvia Slythe, takes an interest in Bonnie, encouraging her to finish one of her stories, in which a young woman moves to the seaside, falling under strange influences. As summer approaches, Sylvia suggests to Bonnie that, as neither of them has anyone else to go on holiday with, they should go away together - to the seaside, show more perhaps. The new novel from the author of the Man Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse is a tense exploration of obsession, manipulation, the influence of subliminal messaging, and the decay of the English shore. Shot through with a staggering and sinister psychological depth, Bonnie Falls and Sylvia Slythe will prove two of the most unforgettable characters in English-language fiction."-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
wandering_star These two books have a similar tone, slightly dreamlike/detached and unsettling.
Member Reviews
I did finish this book, but at only 167 pages that's not a great testament to the story. In fact, I found the book rather silly and almost completely without interest. In some ways I found this story to be similar to Gaarder's "Sophie's World", but without the intrinsic interest of Gaarder's book. Alison Moore's characters were all entirely unbelievable and unattractive. Because she is clearly a talented writer (as evidenced by "The Lighthouse") I assume they are meant to be not believed. That situation may amuse some people but unfortunately I am not one of those. This 2nd hand book cost me USD1.98 - I think I paid too much.
Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/10/28/villainathon-wrap-up/
The premise of the book and the idea of the story within a story were interesting to me, but this book just wasn't engaging. I felt as though it was centred around a protagonist who was quietly wrestling with a mundane sense of failure, and I just couldn't find myself invested in the outcome. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this title.
The premise of the book and the idea of the story within a story were interesting to me, but this book just wasn't engaging. I felt as though it was centred around a protagonist who was quietly wrestling with a mundane sense of failure, and I just couldn't find myself invested in the outcome. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this title.
3.5 rounded to 4
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ThingScore 100
Alison Moore’s debut novel The Lighthouse was shortlisted for The Man Booker, and Death and the Seaside has the same limpid prose with an ecstasy of detail. Metaphor unwraps metaphor in this Russian doll narrative..., Moore raises philosophical and psychological questions about suspension of disbelief and free will. Moore is cunning with literary conceits and motifs but the story remains show more absorbing and sharp. “A hidden world beneath the manifest one,” this short, elegant novel is a glimpse into the subconscious – like a lucid dream. show less
added by vancouverdeb
Among many other things, Death and the Seaside is a novel about novels, a story about stories, a book-length critique of the role of reader and writer. One after effect of Bonnie’s degree is a lingering tendency to “see the real world in terms of narrative” with “stories and symbolism” everywhere. ..eath and the Seaside is a challenging book. Dense, complex, thought-provoking, it show more manages to be at once a fairytale and a philosophical treatise, high-octane thriller and literary interrogation. Like the dreams that haunt Bonnie’s night-times, it holds its secrets close, and repays careful rereading. The end of the novel, abrupt and death-haunted, feels as neat and tight as a key in a lock, and sheds light on the mysteries that have gone before. Schubert would be proud. show less
added by vancouverdeb
Lists
Ninja book club
8 works; 1 member
Author Information
16+ Works 818 Members
Alison Moore was born in Manchester in 1971. She lives in a village on the Leicestershire-Nottinghamshire border. She is a member of Nottingham Writers Studio and an honorary lecturer in the School of English at Nottingham University. In 2012 her novel The Lighthouse, the unsettling tale of a middle-aged man who embarks on a contemplative German show more walking holiday after the break-up of his marriage only to find himself more alienated than ever, was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize. Her other title's include He Wants, Death and the Seaside, Missing, and The Harvestman. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
The Guardian Book of the Day (2016-08-20)
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2016-08-16
- People/Characters
- Bonnie Falls; Sylvia Slythe
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 67
- Popularity
- 463,924
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (2.88)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 4
