Alphabet [Paperback]

'Kathy Page's novel is a claustrophobic page-turner focused on a manipulative young man called Simon, who's serving a life sentence for having strangled his girlfriend.... Page makes his journey towards partial redemption an intriguing one.' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

' a book which lets us see the humanity and vulnerability that accompany monstrous acts.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'a truly compelling read, right to the last page.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'It is a bracing study, emotionally nimble and intelligent, and forms a very fine novel.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Page's prison work has given her a profound insight into the workings of the prison system as well as the minds of the prisoners, and she has written a truly gripping novel. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'ALPHABET is not just highly readable, but one of the strongest, most eloquent, most tightly constructed novels of 2004.......It is a measure of the quiet artistry of ALPHABET that, out of material that would have been at home in the blackest of black comedies, Kathy Page has fashioned a fable about redemptive love........ she has celebrated, with rare deftness, the resilience of the human heart.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'They (the main characters) are all there for the recognizable roles they represent but they are individually well-drawn and collectively they help to make the story compelling. Simon himself emerges with a strong credible personality.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Page, by necessity, keeps her own prose quiet and unbotrusive, while her insight throws light on a painful struggle to understand through articulation.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Simon Austen is serving a life sentence for murder. Intelligent but illiterate, charming but also damaged, brutal and manipulative, he admits to what he's done but his motives are far from clear, even to himself. Then Simon learns to read and write. From his high security prison he begins an illicit correspondence with a series of women. The more he learns - about them and about himself - the higher the stakes become. Simon finds himself on a perilous, unpredictable and sometimes hilarious journey as he stumbles towards self-knowledge and redemption.

Kathy Page was born in London. She was Writer in Residence at a British prison in 1992 and lives on a remote Canadian island with her husband and children.