The Sandpit

A joy to read, the novel reflects John le Carré’s genre-stretching influence on every page: the boys’ school setting, the mixture of social comedy and Hitchcockian shenanigans, the astute, sophisticated prose, the central philosophical dilemma, and the exploration of what it means to be English in a globalised world. * Sunday Times *
Wonderfully well written…old school in the best possible way, with an insidious escalation of menace, and paranoia that fairly shimmers off the pages * Guardian *
A remarkable contemporary thriller – with shades of Graham Greene and Le Carré about it – but also a profound and compelling investigation of a hugely complex human predicament. Brilliantly observed, captivatingly written, grippingly narrated – a triumph * William Boyd *
The best evocation of Oxford since Brideshead – Allan Massie
A grimly absorbing literary thriller with shades of John le Carre… opens a window onto the murky world of international nuclear policy and espionage amorality * Evening Standard *
Quite simply excellent. If you’re looking for something exciting and sinewy to read, this is it. There’s no mistaking quality when it appears in book form * John Simpson *
A beautifully considered, subtle exploration of Englishness, of betrayal, of social change and character - elegantly and engagingly wrapped in a classic spy novel * Rory Stewart *
Echoes of Greene, Conrad and Le Carre. Yet these influences have been absorbed as good writers always absorb the influence of their predecessors and go beyond it to make something that is wholly their own…One good test of novel is: does it re-read? Well, I’ve now read The Sandpit twice, and I’m pretty sure I shall read it again in a few months’ time * Scotsman *
Shakespeare sets up the myriad pressures on his protagonist with consummate skill, keeping the reader guessing about the motives of everybody Dyer encounters. There are more than a few hints of Graham Greene and John Le Carre here… In its exploration of how individual actions can have huge and unexpected ramifications, The Sandpit is an enthralling read….the theme of how ordinary individuals negotiate the pressures brought down on them by extraordinary events generates superb drama.’ * Literary Review *
Exceptionally well written * Spectator *

Nicholas Shakespeare was born in 1957. The son of a diplomat, much of his youth was spent in Asia and South America.

One of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists 1993, and considered by The Wall Street Journal as ‘one of the best English novelists of our time’, his prize-winning books have been translated into twenty-two languages. They include The Vision of Elena Silves (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award), Snowleg, The Dancer Upstairs, Inheritance, Priscilla, Six Minutes in May and acclaimed biographies of Bruce Chatwin and Ian Fleming. His most recent thriller featuring John Dyer was The Sandpit.

He has been longlisted for the Booker Prize twice, was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

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