Vendor
	Liepman Literary Agency Marc Koralnik
Original language
English
Weblink
http://www.kerryhudson.co.uk

THIRST

Kerry Hudson

THIRST is a heartbreaking romance of almost unbearable fragility based in contemporary East London and rural Russia

Alena and Dave are both on the run from disaster, and meet during a London heatwave to begin a love affair as dark, joyful and frenetic as the city itself. Dave, who has built a carefully controlled world of self-denial and isolation, is drawn to Alena's passion for life, while Alena discovers that sex can be more than a transaction and that love and safety are priceless commodities. But a relationship founded on secrets is easily shattered, and when Alena's ex-lover arrives, threatening toexpose her, Alena flees. By the time Dave overcomes his mistrust about Alena and her past, and follows her into the bitter Russian winter, he can only hope he's not too late to convince her that just as spring will come, second and even third chances can always be found. THIRST is a heartbreaking romance of almost unbearable fragility based in contemporary East London and rural Russia.

Born in Aberdeen, Kerry grew up in a succession of council estates,B&Bs and caravan parks which provided her with a keen eye for idiosyncratic behaviour, material for life, and a love of travel. She was chosen as a Bookseller Rising Star 2014 for her work on the WoMentoring project. She currently divides her writing time and affections between Hackney and Hanoi, and is working on her third novel.

Available products
Book Published 2014-07-01 by Chatto & Windus

Comments

"Her version of Romeo and Juliet' is plausible because it is so well anchored in the twenty-first century, plunging the reader into the mire of a cruel and unjust world. With a gallery of wicked Dickensian characters the human love story element is all the more powerful: if love can move mountains and bring (our protagonists) together it can also change the world. Hearts across the world unite.."

10/18 (paperback)

"Prize shortlister Kerry Hudson's milieu where life is a struggle for survival is a refreshing change... well-written and engaging."

Editions Philippe Rey

Viking Penguin

"Together they (Alena and Dave) discover and learn how to tame the chaotic criss-cross of their feelings, fears, jealousies, frustrations and desires.. The author's tough and straightforward realism doesn't impede her ability to describe the beauty of their love story in the most elegant way."

"Fresh and original... an unsentimental love story."

"Explores the lives of people not generally considered fit for literature and does so with wit and a shrewdness that makes Hudson's subjects zing from the page."

"Hudson stays amid the struggling classes and realises an impressive emotional knowledge of a valid and genuine London... the tale swings backwards, forwards and sideways and becomes an exquisite, stimulating mash-up... A brilliant, enthralling saga, THIRST presents with such uncommon verisimilitude that scarcely a syllable appears contrived. The sourest of survival exigencies for an illegal immigrant in London are served up ungarnished. There are no moralising punches to the gut, either, in regard to nasty deeds or in connection with the helplessness of poverty amid opulence. The hurt and guilt are confused but true, and awful decisions are made for pure reasons. Also, the final fascinating chapters are a valuable, unusual travelogue of Russia."

"Heart-wrenching without being maudlin, THIRST is a novel about the scraps of hope that people find when they're completely out of options Hudson has an eye for detail and her meticulous research shows without bogging down the narrative. There are villains, but no obvious heroes. It's a bleak outlook, but Hudson makes it beautiful."

"I found this a truly sublime novel . A strong text of such great beauty that gives voice to two lonely, damaged people. A notable success of this year's rentrée littéraire."

"...A booze-soaked, sex-stained, bittersweet tale of love and tragic disappointment... it's a testament to Hudson's stellar writing that different plot strands sit so snugly and compellingly together... she's a master at creating strong, authentic voices, and this book fizzes with the thronging sounds of east London in the summer and the bustling streets of an unknown Siberian town... Hudson has created two warm but gut-wrenching characters... As the last few chapters crescendo into a breathless, sob-induced finale, Hudson marks herself out once again as a terrifically talented storyteller who, luckily for us, is here to stay."

"'A quirky love story that I found both funny and touching... Hudson's debut was highly praised and this is a terrific follow up."

Minimum Fax

"'A classy will-they-won't-they? romance with a difference. It's sheer escapism from start to finish."

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/06/based-on-a-true-story--geoff-dyer-fine-line-between-fact-and-fiction-nonfiction Read more...