Annabel
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:1st Mar '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize - this is a moving novel about a young hermaphrodite growing up in the 1960s.
But as Wayne grows up within the hyper-male hunting culture of his father, his shadow-self - a girl he thinks of as 'Annabel' - is never entirely extinguished, and indeed is secretly nurtured by the women in his life.
In 1968, in a remote part of Canada, a mysterious child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor girl, but both at once. Only three people share the secret - the baby's parents and a trusted neighbour. Together the adults make a difficult decision: to go through surgery and raise the child as a boy named Wayne.
But as Wayne grows up within the hyper-male hunting culture of his father, his shadow-self - a girl he thinks of as 'Annabel' - is never entirely extinguished, and indeed is secretly nurtured by the women in his life. As Wayne approaches adulthood, and its emotional and physical demands, the woman inside him begins to cry out. The changes that follow are momentous not just for him, but for the three adults that have guarded his secret.
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize.
An uplifting exploration of love, parenthood, and all that we become * Daily Mail *
Remarkable... at once deeply moving and a powerful rallying cry * The Times *
[A] powerful and important debut...about friendship, parental love and its limitations * Irish Times *
This haunting, powerful story is about much more than the problems of being a hermaphrodite...This is a remarkable first novel, an accomplished debut by an exciting new voice with a confident, mature style * Daily Express *
Kathleen Winter has the steadfast clarity and quietly assured talent to make this difficult subject her own...Winter has a strikingly mellifluous voice, and she has created a potent story exploring gender categorization and humanity * Independent *
As an examination of a relationship between a child and his parents, this is a moving tale, told with precision and care. As a debut, it is almost faultless * Glasgow Herald *
Winter clearly loves all her characters, even the hopelessly misguided men, and she lavishes compassion and metaphor on them. * Scotsman *
It's loneliness, not gender, that lies at the heart of Winter's novel - a confident, serious debut * Guardian *
This is an astute examination of ordinary people confronting extraordinary dilemmas * Mail on Sunday *
It is the powerful sense of place that is the most successful element -- Roz Kaveney * Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9780099555025
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 28mm
Weight: 330g
480 pages