The Arsonist: The brilliant novel from the bestselling author of Monogamy

Description

'Brilliant' THE TIMES 'A finely observed study of identity and belonging' MAIL ON SUNDAY Fleeing the end of an affair, and troubled by the feeling that she belongs nowhere after working in East Africa for fifteen years, Frankie Rowley comes home to the small New Hampshire town of Pomeroy and the farmhouse where her family has always summered. On her first night back, a house up the road burns to the ground. Is it an accident, or something more deliberate? During the following weeks, as Frankie comes to recognise her father's slow failing and her mother's desperation, and tentatively gets to know the new owner of the local newspaper, another house burns - and then another. These frightening events crack open the deep social fault lines in the town, raising questions about how and where one ought to live, and what it really means to lead a fulfilling life. What readers are saying about The Arsonist: 'A stonking good read' 'A treat' 'I love Sue Miller and would recommend any of her books; she is a tremendous writer' 'I could not put it down' 'A lovely narrative that will never leave me. Five stars' 'I loved every page'

Sue Miller was born in Chicago in 1943. She is the bestselling author of ten previous novels including The Good Mother, The Distinguished Guest, the Oprah Book Club selection While I Was Gone, Lost in the Forest, the Richard & Judy choice The Senator's Wife, The Lake Shore Limited and the acclaimed memoir The Story of My Father. Sue Miller lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Full of Ms. Miller's signature intelligence about people caught between moral responsibility and a hunger for self-realisation * New York Times * Miller's thoughtful, searching prose fills in all the background details, and her vivid characters are utterly believable. Brilliant * The Times * Her subtle prose seduces with observations ... it feels as if the author is posing a similar question as to whether-small town affairs are the proper business for art. This moving novel provides a profoundly satisfying answer * Sunday Telegraph * A finely observed study of identity and belonging * Mail on Sunday * She makes writing look so effortless, and the psychological development of her characters so natural, that it's easy to underestimate the artistry of her novels -- Lesley McDowell * Independent *