Maya

Description

A novel from the acclaimed author of All in the Mind Maya Lowe is one of the world's most beautiful film starsShe still thinks she can lead a normal life, despite the fame that has made her a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic. The twists and turns of her public and private life are observed by Steve Watkins, her friend since school-days. He, too, swears that their relationship hasn't changed since they were teenagers.But such a relationship becomes unbalanced. under threat. threatens survive a fame as great as Maya's? Can a man like Steve seriously remain part of her life? He certainly thinks so. But amid the twists and turns of Maya's public and private lives, the gulf between what Steve thinks and what is actually true gets ever wider. And in a world where the obsession with celebrity seems to make everyone want to be one, truth is hard to find.Set in modern-day Britain, America and France, Alastair Campbell's second novel is part psychological thriller, part exploration of the psychology of fame. Steve is a brilliantly ambiguous figure, narrating a story full of morally complex characters from the worlds of film, business, TV, journalism and private investigation. Whether through stars with a love-hate relationship with their public; agents milking the culture of celebrity; a media that cannot get enough because the public always want more, Campbell depicts a society feeding vainly on fame, and the dangerous consequences for those caught up in its frenzy.

Alastair Campbell was born in Keighley, Yorkshire in 1957, the son of a vet. After graduating from Cambridge University in modern languages, his first chosen career was journalism, principally with the Mirror Group. When Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party, he asked Campbell to be his press secretary. He worked for Blair - first in that capacity, then as official spokesman and director of communications and strategy - from 1994 to 2003, since when he has been engaged mainly in writing, public speaking and working for Leukaemia Research, where he is chairman of fundraising. He has continued to act as an advisor to Mr Blair and the Labour Party, including during the 2005 election campaign. He lives in North London with his partner of 25 years, Fiona Millar. They have three children. His interests include running, triathlon, bagpipes and Burnley Football Club. He is the author of the bestselling The Blair Years, extracts from his diaries, and the acclaimed novel All in the Mind.

A superb read ... Campbell paints a sometimes disturbing, always fascinating portrait of fame, and the obsession and manipulation that it attracts -- Piers Morgan Campbell has written a book which is well plotted and suspenseful. Few who can bring themselves to start will be able to force themselves not to finish... Maya should clearly be played by Keira Knightley if Campbell gets the movie deal - which, on the basis of the story's twists and grip, should not be ruled out... (Piers) Morgan surely won't be the only person to like this book. The joke waiting to be made is that Campbell saves his best fiction for public enquiries - but much of Maya ruins that gag. -- Mark Lawson, Guardian * Guardian *