The Other Side of the World

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What to expect

In the tradition of Rachel Cusk's A Life's Work or Maggie O'Farrell's The Hand That First Held Mine comes a complex, tender and gorgeously written novel of parenthood, love and marriage that is impossible to put down.

Cambridge 1963. Charlotte struggles to reconnect with the woman she was before children, and to find the time and energy to paint. Her husband, Henry, cannot face the thought of another English winter. A brochure slipped through the letterbox gives him the answer: 'Australia brings out the best in you'.

Charlotte is too worn out to resist, and before she knows it is travelling to the other side of the world. But on their arrival in Perth, the southern sun shines a harsh light on both Henry and Charlotte and slowly reveals that their new life is not the answer either was hoping for. Charlotte is left wondering if there is anywhere she belongs, and how far she'll go to find her way home...

(P)2015 Headline Digital

Critics Review

An insightful, exquisitely observed novel... deserves to make many a book prize shortlist
Observer
Unflinching but tender... a moving story of marriage, home and self-discovery
Stylist
Stephanie Bishop's second novel is a stunning work of Australian fiction about marriage and family, homesickness and nostalgia. Bishop's elegant and beautiful prose stayed with me long after finishing the final page and I found myself returning to reread passages. The Other Side of the World is definitely a standout, must-read novel of 2015.
Guardian.com
A spellbinding and beautifully written debut by Stephanie Bishop, about a woman struggling with life as a new mother after she's uprooted by her husband to Australia
Good Housekeeping
Her descriptions pulse with feeling... A tender portrayal of the power of memory, the pull of place and the fragility of family relationships, this is thoroughly enjoyable
Lady
There are moments in this novel that are so beautifully and painfully evoked... I thought about it for days afterwards
Carys Bray, author of A Song for Issy Bradley
Intelligent and poignant
Glamour
This powerful, insightful novel has an evocation of motherhood any parent will recognise
Sunday Express
Bishop writes with great sympathy about two individuals whose sense of themselves has come adrift, and her atmospheric scenes are painted with an arrestingly vivid palette
Daily Mail
The novel thrums with an elegiac hum and is soft with the shifting light and worn textures of memories... magnificent...the precision and flair of the writing is breathtaking
The Australian
Atmospheric - the contrast between the two cultures and climates is very well done
Bookseller (Editor's Pick)
A beautifully written novel... There are shades of Anne Tyler and Raymond Carver - names not to be thrown around lightly
Big Issue
Perceptive, wise and exquisitely written, this novel had me turning the pages with heart-stopping urgency. I could not have loved it more
Hannah Beckerman, Author of The Dead Wife's Handbook
Utterly heartrending...a subtle and moving book
Optima Magazine
a painfully intimate portrait of a marriage in crisis and of a woman on the verge of losing herself... a read-in-one-sitting kind of book, and perfect for book clubs. You'll be debating this one for hours!
New Books Magazine
A breathy, sensual conjuring up of two countries, two people steeped in their own sense of nostalgia, beating with a page-turning pulse
Sainsbury’s Magazine
Her ability to describe landscapes and places is quite stunning... A slow-moving, gently unfurling story that is sure to be a huge success for Stephanie Bishop ... oh, and that ending...
Random Things Through My Letterbox
A beautiful story about parenthood, marriage and a young mother's bewilderment by change, responsibility and duty
Candis
A beautifully written book... I delighted in the poetic style of Stephanie Bishop's writing and loved the evocative images of the Australian and English (and Indian) landscapes. She captures the intensity of the heat in the southern hemisphere and contrasts this with the melancholic dimness of an English winter
The Bookbag
One of the most beautiful stories I have read in a long time. Against an epic backdrop lies a deeply personal story of home and identity, and I fell in love from the very first page. Surely a classic in the making.
Joanna Cannon, author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP
The dramatic ending will certainly stay with me for a long time
Irish News
A powerful description of a marriage in crisis
Mirror
Clear, strong prose and a story shaped by intelligence of steel
Sarah Moss, author of NIGHTWAKING and BODIES OF LIGHT
Tenderly written... the dramatic ending will stay with me for a long while
Irish Examiner
As a portrait of a marriage and motherhood, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD was the most outstanding novel of the year for me. It's beautifully written, profound and deeply moving.
Express

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