He Wants

Lewis Sullivan lives less than a mile from his childhood home. His grown-up daughter visits every day, bringing soup, and he spends his evenings at his second-favourite pub for half a shandy and sausage. But when an old friend appears, he finds his comfortable life shaken up. Touching and compassionate, rich and sensual, He Wants is charged with surprise.

AUTHOR

Alison Moore

Alison Moore’s first novel, The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Awards, winning the McKitterick Prize. Both The Lighthouse and her second novel, He Wants (Biblioasis, 2016), were Observer Books of the Year. Her most recent novel is Death and the Seaside (forthcoming from Biblioasis). Her short fiction has been included in Best British Short Stories and Best British Horror anthologies and broadcast on BBC Radio. The title story of her debut collection, The Pre-War House and Other Stories, won a novella prize. Her first children’s book, Sunny and the Ghosts, will be published in the UK in 2018.

Reviews

Praise for He Wants

“[Moore’s] playfulness and the sympathetic and surprising character of Lewis make this artful novel a delightful read.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The quietness of this novel will make you prick up your ears; this is storytelling that invites and sustains careful attention. [Suffused] with an elusive sadness … the novel’s conclusion both satisfies and bewilders.”—Heather Birrell, Toronto Star

“An exercise in withholding and revelation … the climax is perfectly, subtly performed, and beautifully written. DH Lawrence fans in particular should take note.”—Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This

“Extraordinary, unique, compelling, and deftly crafted from beginning to end.”—Midwest Book Review