Absolution

Description

In her garden, ensconced in the lush vegetation of the Western Cape, Clare Wald, world-renowned author, mother, critic, takes up her pen and confronts her life. Sam Leroux has returned to South Africa to embark upon a project that will establish his reputation - he is to write Clare's biography. But how honest is she prepared to be? Was she complicit in crimes lurking in South Africa's past; is she an accomplice or a victim? Are her crimes against her family real or imagined? As Sam and Clare turn over the events of her life, she begins to seek reconciliation, absolution. But in the stories she weaves and the truth just below the surface of her shimmering prose, lie Sam's own ghosts. Absolution shines light on contemporary South Africa and the long dark shadow of Apartheid, the elusive nature of truth and self-perception and the mysterious alchemy of the creative process. It is a debut of extraordinary strength and power.

Patrick Flanery was born in California in 1975 and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. After earning a BFA in Film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts he worked for three years in the film industry before moving to the UK, where he completed a doctorate in Twentieth-Century English Literature at the University of Oxford. As well as publishing scholarly articles on British and South African literature and film in a number of academic journals, he has written for Slightly Foxed and The Times Literary Supplement. He lives in London.

'Flanery's portrayal of South Africa is explosively powerful... An exceptionally intelligent, multi-layered novel encompassing politics, history, a gripping storyline and complex characters. It has absorbing depictions of grief, guilt, parenthood and sibling rivalry, and is beautifully written... Absolution is an exceptional book.' Independent 'Patrick Flanery is an exceptionally gifted novelist, and he is just getting started.' New Yorker 'A taut literary thriller set in South Africa... A very clever, beautifully written book where the reader is constantly adjusting to noting being as it seems.' Daily Mail 'Compelling... At times, Flanery's prose evokes Graham Greene... A literary thriller whose writing is consistently first class.' Observer 'Gripping... The prose surges with enjoyable debate about the slipperiness of truth, the nature of forgiveness... Impressive.' Sunday Telegraph 'The wonder of this outstanding novel is that Flanery weaves the stories together with such assurance and craftsmanship, digging underneath many recieved ideas about the old and new South Africa.' The Times