The Truants

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Truants by Kate Weinberg, read by Olivia Dowd.

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'In the vein of Agatha Christie herself. Startling' – Irish Times

'Magical in every way ... One of the best novels I’ve ever read’ – Fearne Cotton

'As much a coming-of-age tale as a murder mystery ... An impressive debut' – The Times
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AN OBSERVER, i AND NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
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During the first year of university, a group of friends discover the cost of an extraordinary life in this captivating debut about obsession, rivalry and coming of age

Jess Walker, middle child of a middle class family, has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight. But when she arrives at a concrete university campus under flat, grey, East Anglian skies, her world flares with colour.

Drawn into a tightly-knit group of rule breakers – led by their maverick teacher, Lorna Clay – Jess begins to experiment with a new version of herself. But the dynamic between the friends begins to darken as they share secrets, lovers and finally a tragedy. Soon Jess is thrown up against the question she fears most: what is the true cost of an extraordinary life?
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'Hypnotic . . . An uncommonly clever whodunnit' New York Times Book Review
'Deftly plotted with vivid, compelling characters' Jojo Moyes
'One of the standout books of the summer' Stylist

Critics Review

Weinberg herself has an aversion to neat endings, or neatness in general – her plot takes many surprising turns, her characters are multifaceted, and their dialogue pings with curious anecdotes that, unusually, add rather than detract from the whole. The Truants marks [Weinberg] out as a natural storyteller, in the vein of Agatha Christie herself. Startling
Irish Times
One of the best books I have read in forever. I fell in love with these characters and am still mourning that I don’t get to live in their world anymore. Kate’s writing is like a wickedly brilliant Donna Tartt, Agatha Christie and Liane Moriarty all mixed into one. Pick up a copy of The Truants and I can promise you that you won’t be able to put it down until you reach the last page. This book is nothing but absolutely brilliant from beginning to end
Scarlett Curtis
The book you’ll fall in love with. With a small band of overly intimate students, a mysterious-yet-inspiring tutor, obsession and a whodunit, there’s much to place it in the same bracket as Donna Tartt but there are also nods to a much-mentioned Agatha Christie. There’s also an ending that’ll leave you thinking and thinking about this plot for weeks, if not months, later; one of the standout books of the summer
Stylist
There are more than a few nods to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History here – the band of student misfits with dysfunctional backgrounds, the professor with oddly intimate student-teacher bonds, plus an overall sense, skilfully seeded by Weinberg, that things are about to take a wrong turn … Threaded into the story are references to Agatha Christie’s novels, with their mysteries and murders and love triangles. The Truants borrows some of these murder mystery tropes, leading us to a dark conclusion that feels satisfying to reach
Evening Standard
This satisfying coming-of-age novel jives to a thriller-like beat. It’s a debut, though you wouldn't necessarily know it from its assured tone. While Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is a clear influence, it’s Agatha Christie whose work is most explicitly referenced, stoking an ominous sense of impending calamity
Mail on Sunday
A coming-of-age story and campus novel rolled into one, it is given greater depth by the shadow of Agatha Christie, who stalks the pages. With deft characterisation, plenty of mystery and twists in the tale, it had me gripped
Daily Mail
An impressive debut
The Times
I love a coming of age story and The Truants hit my sweet spot … Think The Secret History meets Agatha Christie. This might be Kate Weinberg’s debut novel, but her assured writing and ability to create compelling characters makes me hope there’ll be many more novels to come
Red
In this mesmerising debut, Kate Weinberg tackles first love, obsession and the boundaries of self-identity. Hefty foreshadowing and an abundance of twists keep the reader tripping forwards
i
Ingenious
Daily Telegraph
Set to be the book of the summer
Town & Country
You know those summer books which draw you in immediately and unyieldingly into their world? That bury you into the characters so nose-deep that when you’re finished, they leave you yearning for the intimate world you’ve just left. Well, The Truants, a debut novel by Kate Weinberg, is exactly one of these. We couldn't put it down
A Little Bird
This is a remarkably assured debut, deftly plotted and with vivid, compelling characters that leap off the page. I had no idea where it was going to end up – but I knew I would be satisfied, and I was. I look forward to seeing what Kate Weinberg writes next
Jojo Moyes
In this mesmerising debut, Kate Weinberg confidently combines literary suspense and deftly executed narrative, slowly unravelling each thread that tangles first-love, obsession and the boundaries of self-identity. The Truants is as charismatic as the characters within. A riveting read
The Herald
Weinberg weaves intrigue worthy of Agatha Christie – you'll love getting lost in The Truants' web of mystery, desire and deceit
M. L. Rio, author of If We Were Villains
The Truants teases, seduces and thrills but ultimately it's about the best kind of love affair – allowing for the freedom to be yourself
Miranda Hart
Lays bare the lengths to which we will go to feel seen … At once thrilling and heartbreaking
Meghan MacLean Weir, author of The Book of Essie
Reminiscent of Muriel Spark and Donna Tartt. A stunning debut!
Carol Goodman, author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Night Visitors

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