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The Innocent
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Check link for latest rating. ( 170 ratings, 33 reviews)
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The Innocent
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See moreIt is 1948 and Aleksandr, a major in the MGB (the forerunner of the KGB) is sent to an isolated psychiatric clinic to investigate one of the patients there. The patient is a man long presumed dead - a now severely incapacitated veteran of the Second World War, who seems unable to remember any of his past.
David Szalay, winner of the Betty Trask Prize 2008, returns with a searing and gripping thriller set in Communist Russia - the breathtaking next stage of a major literary career.
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Description
A searing and gripping thriller set in Communist Russia from prize-winning novelist David Szalay.
THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF FLESH
It is 1948 in Russia and Aleksandr, a major in the MGB (the forerunner of the KGB) is sent to an isolated psychiatric clinic to investigate one of the patients there. The patient is a man long presumed dead - a now severely incapacitated veteran of the Second World War, who seems unable to remember any of his past.
Twenty-four years later, Aleksandr is haunted by the case. With his Stalinist faith under threat as the Cold War recedes, he interrogates his memories and the effect the case had on himself and on those he loved most.
'Psychologically intricate, flawlessly researched' The Times
'Impressive' The Sunday Times
'David Szalay... has created an extraordinary character, a KGB man you can imagine knowing or even being' Observer
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Innocent by David Szalay is a deeply researched novel that explores the impact of Stalin's legacy, observing its effects through a disillusioned old communist. Echoing the style of Le Carre, it offers an elegantly depicted Cold War setting with a profound emotional depth. The narrative is complex and detailed, blending sadness with compelling storytelling, and is considered an impressive addition to Szalay's accomplishments.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780099515883
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 August 2010
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Vintage
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 14.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 142g
Pages: 192
About the Author
David Szalay is the author of six works of fiction, including London and the South-East, for which he was awarded the Betty Trask and Geoffrey Faber Memorial prizes, All That Man Is, for which he was awarded the Gordon Burn Prize and Plimpton Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Turbulence, which won the Edge Hill Prize. Born in Canada, he grew up in London, and now lives in Vienna. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages.
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Turbulence
An original BBC Radio 4 commission, Turbulence is the new short story sequence from the Man Booker prize-shortlisted author of All That Man Is. THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF FLESH Twelve people on the move around planet Earth, twelve individual lives, each in turmoil, and each in some way touching the next. In this nuanced and deeply moving...Paperback$2800Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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A brilliant novel about money and love, on betting everything on a single throw, by an award-winning young writers, chosen as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists 2013. THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF FLESH A brilliant novel about money and love and betting everything on a single throw James and Katherine meet at a wedding in...Paperback$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
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