
On a forested island off the coast of Istanbul stands Portmantle, a gated refuge for beleaguered artists. There, a curious assembly of painters, architects, writers and musicians strive to restore their faded talents. Elspeth 'Knell' Conroy is a celebrated painter who has lost faith in her ability and fled the dizzying art scene of 1960s London. On the island, she spends her nights locked in her blacked-out studio, testing a strange new pigmentfor her elusive masterpiece.
But when a disaffected teenager named Fullerton arrives at the refuge, he disrupts its established routines. He is plagued by a recurring nightmare that steers him into danger, and Knell is left to pick apart the chilling mystery. Where did the boy come from, what is 'The Ecliptic', and how does it relate to their abandoned lives in England?
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ISBN: 9781471126703
Number of pages: 480
Weight: 674 g
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
`Stunning ... Wood has created one of the most moving and human characters in recent fiction' -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven
`A curious, bewitching and beguiling book that manages to be both profoundly moving and as gripping and unputdownable as a thriller. Outstanding' -- SJ Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep
`An intelligent examination of creativity, psychology, and a riveting mystery ... this ambitious novel will haunt the imagination long after the final page' * Independent on Sunday *
`A resounding achievement ... Absorbing, rich, beautiful' * Guardian *
`Exhilarating. A masterfully paced and suspenseful read' * Independent *
`Wood has lost none of his ability to combine suspense with striking images. His fiction is playfully experimental, but never loses sight of its primary purpose: to entertain' * Daily Telegraph *
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“The Ecliptic”
A fantastic second novel from Benjamin Wood. Wonderful. clever storytelling.
I highly recommend this and Wood's first novel, The Bellwether Revivals.
“Amazing story to read....”
This amazing novel takes you on a journey from the 1960's London art scene to the art colony on the Princess Islands in Istanbul. Every part in the book finishes with a cliffhanger, starting with a new beginning... More
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