Shortlisted for the prestigious U.S. National Book Award 2010.

Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 15 April 2010.

A book about terminal illness and battling the healthcare system may not sound much fun but Lionel Shriver adds her marvellous touch to every page making it a compelling and moving read.

Synopsis

The extraordinary new novel from the Orange Prize winning author of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'. What do you pack for the rest of your life? Shepherd Knacker is bored with his humdrum existence. He's sold his successful handy-man business for a million dollars and is now ready to embark on his 'Afterlife' - a one way ticket to a small island off the coast of Africa. He tries to convince his wife Glynis to come with him, but she laughs off the idea as preposterous.There's no way she'll let Shepherd uproot the family to some far-flung African island. When Glynis is diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer, Shepherd's dreams of an exotic adventure are firmly put on hold. He devotes himself to caring for his sick wife, watching her fade before his eyes. Shepherd's best friend Jackson knows all too well about illness. His sixteen year old daughter has spent her life dosed up on every treatment going while he and his wife Carol feed their youngest daughter sugar pills so she won't feel left out. But then Jackson undergoes a medical procedure of his own which has devastating consequences ! So Much For That is a deeply affecting novel, told with Lionel Shriver's trademark originality, intelligence and acute perception of the human condition.

Reviews

Praise for 'The Post-Birthday World':

'Those of us who rave about the dash and dare of Lionel Shriver's fiction can rejoice that 'The Post-Birthday World', a 'Sliding Doors'-style joint tale of alternative loves and lives, will garner the attention she always deserves.
Independent

'There is an impressive freshness in her treatment. The writing is intelligent, the characterisation thoughtful, the insights sharp...Shriver confirms her reputation as an original talent'. Mail on Sunday 'Shriver gives us another passionate novel!Like Sliding Doors, the tale splits into two, following the dramatic turns of each choice. Brilliant.'
Cosmopolitan

'It's another domestic drama with a compelling twist!the power struggle between the sexes is spot-on. Shriver chalks her narrative cue with relish and, once the story gets underway, it's hard to take your eyes off the green baize.'
Tatler

About the Author

Lionel Shriver is a novelist whose previous books include Orange Prize–winner We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Post-Birthday World, A Perfectly Good Family, Game Control, Double Fault, The Female of the Species, Checker and the Derailleurs, and Ordinary Decent Criminals. She is widely published as a journalist, writing features, columns, op-eds, and book reviews for the Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Economist, Marie Claire, and many other publications. She is frequently interviewed on television, radio, and in print media. She lives in London and Brooklyn, NY. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation