All That is Solid Melts into Air
$45.64
- Paperback
400 pages
- Release Date
27 May 2015
Summary
An exceptionally moving reinvention of the great Russian novel.
Moscow, 1986. In a run-down apartment block, a piano prodigy practices silently to avoid disturbing the neighbours. In a factory, his aunt makes car parts, hiding her dissident past. In the hospital, a talented surgeon buries himself in his work. And in a village in Ukraine, a boy wakes up to a sky of deepest crimson. In the fields, the cattle’s ears are dripping blood. Ten miles away, at the Chernobyl Power Plant, someth…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241964675 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241964679 |
| Author: | Darragh McKeon |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 400 |
| Release Date: | 27 May 2015 |
| Weight: | 278g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 129mm x 26mm |
You Can Find This Book In
What They're Saying
Critics Review
This daring and ambitious novel blends historical epic and love story with a moving description of the Chernobyl disaster and the fall of the Soviet Union. A book rich with resonance far beyond its historical moment – Colm Tóibín
Brilliantly imagined, exhilarating in its sweep; McKeon creates a thrilling appearance of ease, while he delves deep and forges new territory for the contemporary novel. Daring, generous and beautifully written, All That is Solid Melts into Air marks the beginning of a truly significant career. I cannot say it loud enough: McKeon is here to stay – Colum McCann
Powerful and moving … a supremely accomplished social novel … What makes McKeon’s vision so compelling is that the system this novel describes is not merely Russian, nor communist, but universal – John Burnside * Guardian *
His description of the explosion at the Ukrainian nuclear plant is a stylistic high point … recalls Don DeLillo’s Underworld … disturbing … convincing … a tense denouement * Independent *
An outstanding debut novel … portraying inconceivable horrors and acts of incredible beauty in luminously understated prose … McKeon makes us care … skilfully drawing us into their worlds before and after the explosion … devastating * Metro *
A book to be devoured, tragic and funny and sad and beautiful and sensual and shocking and, ultimately, utterly transcendent … crackles with the whip-smart propulsion of a thriller, while immersing its reader in the rich inner turmoils of its characters * Image *
Fascinating, with … the ferocious grip of a rollercoaster thriller … this book is beautifully written … generous with elegantly turned phrases … Skilfully crafted, thoughtful, poetic, well-judged … [a] flawless pearl * Irish Independent *
About The Author
Darragh McKeon
Darragh McKeon was born in 1979 and grew up in the midlands of Ireland. He has worked as a theatre director, and his writing has been shortlisted for the Francis McManus Short Story Award and the Filmbase/RTE Short Film Award. This is his first novel.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.