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Deceptively clever and utterly compelling, this beautifully written little book will continue to haunt your thoughts long after you've finished it. Set in Montreal, the world of Bilodo the postman is a simple one, but he regularly sneaks a peek into other peoples worlds by reading their handwritten letters; events take a darker turn as he deviates from voyeur into an obsessive usurper. The author uses Japanese haiku and tanka poetry to allow Bilodo to converse with the woman of his dreams; exquisite clusters of words will snag your attention and demand that you re-read them. This is essentially a book of love, of what might have been and of what could still come…
One of our Books of the Year 2014.
Selected as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club title in September 2014.
*Selected for Simon Mayo's BBC Radio 2 Book Club* Secretly steaming open envelopes and reading the letters inside, Bilodo has found an escape from his lonely and routine life as a postman. When one day he comes across a mysterious letter containing a single haiku, he finds himself avidly caught up in the relationship between a long-distance couple who write to each other using only beautiful poetry. He feasts on their words, vicariously living a life for which he longs. But it will only be a matter of time before his world comes crashing down around him.
Closing date: 04/10/2020
In addition, some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title.
'Enchanting, philosophically astute and deeply poignant'
John Burnside
'Quirky and charming with a well-executed denouement, this novella brings to mind nothing less than a giddily-lovesick Kafka'
Guardian
'A captivating philosophical tale'
Le Devoir, Canada
'A love story between two people who've never met, thanks to the magic of a deepening correspondence. In times of internet and social networking, Theriault succeeds in offering fine and spirited promotion for letters'
Le Figaro, France
ISBN: 9781786070531
Publication date: 02/02/2017
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781843915362
Publication date: 12/09/2014
Publisher: Hesperus Press Ltd
Format: Paperback
| ISBN: | 9781786070531 |
| Publication date: | 2nd February 2017 |
| Author: | Denis Theriault |
| Publisher: | Oneworld Publications |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 144 pages |
| Genres: | Book Club Recommendations, Reader Reviewed Books, eBook Favourites, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Relationship Stories, Shorter Reads, |
| Categories: | Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), |
Denis Thériault was born on the north shore of the Gulf of St Lawrence, near Sept-Îles, Quebec, has a degree in psychology and is an award-winning screenwriter who lives with his family in Montreal.
More About Denis Theriault
