Little Egypt

Eerily atmospheric Little Egypt, made me shudder; certain passages were read through half-closed eyes, the way you watch grisly scenes in a film — desperate to know what happens, but not wanting to disturbing images imprinted on your mind.

-- Rosemary Goring * The Herald *

Glaister’s greatest success in Little Egypt is in her pacing and her use of language to obscure change; through effortless and consistently engaging prose, Isis’s transformation, the degradation of the house, the growing panic over her parents’ prolonged absence, and the book’s more sinister themes, all emerge discreetly.

-- Claire Kohda Hazelton * Times Literary Supplement *

Glaister is very good at creating an atmosphere of rank gloom, and her alternating structure gives her rich opportunities for dramatic tension, which she exploits brilliantly. She slowly ramps up the grotesqueries with just the right amount of dark and light: a gleam of macabre humour leavens the misery, while there is always empathy for Isis, doomed to suffer a horrible life to protect her disturbed and disturbing twin.

-- Jane Housham * The Guardian *

Switching between the twins' 1920s childhood and their present day decay until the horror of their existence becomes all too clear, Little Egypt perfectly demonstrates why Glaister is the suspense writers' suspense writer. With Little Egypt, she is back on Honour Thy Father form. I still have that slow, sick, ache in the pit of my stomach to prove it.

-- Sam Baker * Harper’s Bazaar *

★★★★★ A quirky, quintessentially British story about two unfortunate offspring of batty amateur Egyptologist parents and the senior citizens those children become. This deftly written, heady mixture of poignancy and eccentricity is just the thing if you fancy a change from literacy humdrum.

-- Ani Johnson * The Bookbag *

Little Egypt is a highly original and atmospheric novel.

* A Little Blog of Books *

Beautifully written and with fully rounded characters there is much humour alongside the poignancy of the unfolding tale. I loved the idea that this old lady, born to privilege, should derive pleasure from all she is able to see of modern life, this superstore, and dream of selling up and moving on. With so much emphasis these days on preservation it is refreshing to consider change as good. The old days and ways recounted here offer little to remember of past times which should ever be considered fondly.

* Neverimitate *

Lesley Glaister’s writing is delightful; she has some superb turns of phrases and despite the subject matter this is not a book without humour. The characters are beautifully drawn (though the strange Osi remains in the background as something of a mystery), and the ‘crime’ committed is certainly not one I’ve come across before. Highly recommended.

* Book Mu