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.
From the Orange Prize-winning author of We Need to Talk About Kevin comes the most entertaining novel about illness and death one's ever likely to read and asks the uncomfortable fiscal question: how much is one life worth?
Shepherd Knacker has been saving all his working life for a one way ticket away from the daily grind. When he sells his handyman business for $1million, 'The Afterlife' seems tantalisingly within reach. Yet his wife has concocted one reason after another why now isn't the time to go. Determined to take the plunge, Shep announces that he is leaving for an island off the coast of Tanzania: with or without her. However, Glynis has an announcement of her own - she needs his health insurance.
'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
Author
About Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver's novels include the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World and the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin, which won the 2005 Orange Prize and has now sold over a million copies worldwide. Other books include Double Fault, A Perfectly Good Family, and So Much for That. Lionel’s novels have been translated into twenty-five different languages and. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. She lives in London.
