The Testimony of Taliesin Jones

Description

A lyrical and acutely perceptive coming-of-age tale about faith, doubt and growing up, from the accalimed author of The Aftermath Taliesin Jones is a boy on the brink of adulthood, faced for the first time with life's biggest questions. Taliesin's life is falling apart- his mother has run off with her hairdresser, his father's temper is out of control and his brother has been ominously mute for weeks. Even more distressing than Taliesin's dysfunctional family are his classmates' claims that God does not exist. Deeply troubled by life's uncertainty, the boy seeks answers in the unlikely figure of Billy Evans, an old man with an exceptional - possibly even miraculous - talent. The Testimony of Taliesin Jones is an extraordinary novel, exploring the space between childhood and adulthood, between belief and doubt.

Rhidian Brook is an award-winning writer of fiction, television drama and film. His first novel, The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, won several prizes including the Somerset Maugham Award. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including the Paris Review, New Statesman and Time Out, and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He is also a regular contributor to 'Thought For The Day' on the Today programme.

A beautiful meditation on childhood... and a panacea for a cynical age * The Times * You'll find yourself seduced by the quiet power of the Welshman's prose, the subtlety of his narrative technique, with its onion-skin layers of meaning, sympathy and revelation * Time Out * Touching, humorous and poetic * Literary Review * Brook's debut is one of quiet miracles... implictly in the marvellous way he is able to convince us of the power of faith * Sunday Times * The accomplished patterns and Brook's easy style form a readable and poetic first novel * Guardian * Subtle and sublime. Brook's novel is far out of the ordinary run... * Western Mail * As fresh as spring water * Daily Telegraph *