The Fantastic Book of Everybody's Secrets
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'Hannah's comic gift for unraveling the relationship maze makes the complexities of domestic life interesting again.' The Independent 'The author brings a wealth of psychological and literary subtlety to bear... Smart and disarmingly unnerving.' Daily Mail 'Her observations about what lies beneath the surface of other people's lives are intelligently made and beautifully written.' Irish Independent 'People talk about "the Wow! Factor" and this book has got it... An excellent and indulgent read.' Times Books Group 'Hannah has a keen ear for her characters' foibles, snobberies and hypocrisies, and the observation remains acute throughout.' The Observer 'Superb... good, old-fashioned spine-tingling stuff, but also a fine modern thriller... One of those "I must find out what happened" books.' The Times 'A chilling thriller...I was left thinking about the book for days.' Matthew Lewin, The Guardian 'Beautifully written, the novel is outstandingly chilling.' The Spectator 'Hannah wrings a taut chiller-thriller out of the secrets and lies undermining an apparently perfect family.' Saga Magazine 'This taut psychological thriller is full of heart-thumping suspense' Sainsbury's Magazine 'A suspenseful psychological thriller; the plot twists and turns right up until the very last pages.' Heat magazine
Product Description
Everybody has their secrets, and in Sophie Hannah’s fantastic stories the curtains positively twitch with them. Who, for instance, is the hooded figure hiding in the bushes outside a young man’s house? Why does the same stranger keep appearing in the background of a family’s holiday photographs? What makes a woman stand mesmerised by two children in a school playground, children she’s never met but whose names she knows well? And which secret results in a former literary festival director sorting soiled laundry in a shabby hotel? All will be revealed...but at a cost. As Sophie Hannah uncovers the dark obsessions and strange longings behind the most ordinary relationships, life will never seem quite the same again.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved this book! These stories by Sophie Hannah grab you from the first; snappy in plot, with twists and revelations, they manage to portray the dark sides of obsession and secrecy. Each is perfectly crafted. The very first story, `The Octopus Nest', was one of my favourites, throwing the reader immediately into the mystery of a strange woman in the family photographs. They are easy and thoroughly enjoyable to read, told through a wonderful writing style. Some of the stories are very funny - I found `We All Say What We Want' absolutely hilarious; it flawlessly brings to light everything you've ever wanted to say to your boss but didn't dare, whilst highlighting the undercurrents implicit in conversation and office relationships that are never truly vocalised. Others are really very dark. Hannah manages her characters brilliantly; they are both to be empathised with and held in revulsion as they hover between sanity and madness. The stories keep tapping into the internal desires of the reader as the boundaries of normal social behaviour are transgressed. By turns amusing, horrifying, chilling and thought-provoking, but never for a moment dull, the range of stories is wonderful. I am now making all of my friends read it, and I thoroughly recommend it to any who enjoy great short stories!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First off, I am not a fan of Sophie Hannah. I have attempted to read 3 of her novels and for some reason just couldn't get into any of them. I just found her characters unappealing and the plots very contrived and convaluted. However, I was intrigued by this book- a series of short stories all based on the premise of secrets. Well, I loved it! Its a was a brilliant read and I couldn't put it down. Some of the stories are funny, some extremely dark and disturbing, some just plain confusing and others quirky and so original that I laughed out loud. What I liked was the small snapshot of people's lives and how we are all plagued by that inner dialogue that tells us not to reveal our true thoughts and feelings to people in case they will judge us for them. I also loved the fact that most of the stories in this book don't have happy, "well, thats everything sorted out" neatly tied up endings. I personally like ambiguous, open to interpretation endings as I can use my own imagination to figure out what I think happened to the characters in the end. This was a brilliant read and I so wish that her novels had the charm, wit and originality that her short stories have as maybe I would have enjoyed them too. Great book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This attractive book with an intriguing title and a quality folding type jacket is a pleasure to hold and is so well constructed - each story is just right to read at a time. Sophie Hannah's style is very much to my taste anyway so it was a hit with me. I loved the hidden references to contemporary culture (a meeting with Ian McEwan with a character demonstrating to him the illness he wrote the whole of 'Enduring Love' about, a reference to "The Others" cropping up on the first page) Layered and well observed stories of human nature, a wow of a read. Each story one felt could be expanded into a bigger one- such a wealth of ideas - I am a greedy reader and wanted to know more about the characters after their stories closed. Because some are so much better than others - The Octopus Nest remaining in the mind for ages - I couldn't quite give it 5 * s. However this would be a terrific gift for an avid reader.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
SHORT CHANGED
I love Sophie Hannah and have read all her novels, but found this book of short stories just plain annoying. Read more
Published 5 months ago by DAISYGAL
Utterly disappointing
The first story was really good and made me think this was going to be a great book. However every other story went nowhere and ended with a pointless anti-climax. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2009 by P. Dewar
Very good book indeed
This was a wonderful collection of short stories. I really enjoyed the first story, the prizewinning one, although I do find that it's a story that's only amazing the first time... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2009 by Amy Snowe
A Truly Fantastic Collection
Sophie Hannah predominantly writes new crime thrillers and poetry which I haven't read yet (did you know that her mother is the author Adele Geras? Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2009 by Simon Savidge Reads
DisappointingT
This was a disappointing collection,I'm afraid. "The Octopus Nest" is a clever and gripping tale,but none of the other stories had the same appeal. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2008 by Jadi
Avoid - not her best work
The Fantastic Book of Everybody's Secrets
Very disappointing. I was a huge Sophie Hannah fan after reading Hurting Distance. Read more
Very disappointing. I was a huge Sophie Hannah fan after reading Hurting Distance. Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2008 by Lizzie
Insightful glimpses into hearts and minds
Darkly entertaining short stories that are not so much stories as glimpses into hearts and minds - little snippets that, at different times, shock; amuse; confuse; and disturb the... Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2008 by Sarah W
Great short stories
Excellent book of short stories, full of fascinating insights into the darker and weirder side of the human psyche. Great control of tone, structure, voice and suspense. Read more
Published on 13 July 2008 by Sally Douglas
Hail Sophie Hannah!
A great collection of short stories from a writer who shows she's comfortable writing in any genre. I felt scared reading The Octopus Nest - an emotion I've never felt before when... Read more
Published on 8 July 2008 by K. Vadaszffy
Sadly Lacking
After having read and thoroughly enjoyed Sophie Hannah's Little Face, I looked forward to reading this selection of short stories as something I could pick up and read around... Read more
Published on 22 Jun 2008 by M. Mason
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