Electricity [Paperback]

Ray Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2007

Lily's epilepsy means she's used to seeing the world in terms of angles -- you look at every surface, you weigh up every corner, and you think of your head slamming into it -- but what would she be like without her sharp edges? Prickly, spiky, up-front honest and down-to-earth practical, Lily is thirty, and life's not easy but she gets by. Needing no-one and asking for nothing, it's just her and her epilepsy: her constant companion. But then her mother -- who Lily's not seen for years -- dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she'd long since left behind. Forced to renegotiate the boundaries of her life, she realises she has alot to learn -- about relationships, about the past, and about herself -- and some difficult decisions ahead of her. 'An eviscerating debut novel ...Its fast, furious plot, kaleidoscopic imagery, blunt observations and a wry, ingenuous, hugely compassionate heroine make Electricity a breathtaking assault on the senses' Guardian 'An energetic debut, bristling with talent ...It's black, savage, funny and rather uncomfortably haunting' The Times 'Ray Robinson's Electricity is a thorny, uncompromising novel, with attitude. It is also -- thanks to Lily O'Connor, its sharp-edged, hard-living, tough-talking narrator -- mesmerising, uplifting and unexpectedly tender' JIM CRACE

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'An eviscerating debut novel... Its fast, furious plot, kaleidoscopic imagery, blunt observations and a wry, ingenuous, hugely compassionate heroine make Electricity a breathtaking assault on the senses' Guardian 'An energetic debut, bristling with talent... It's black, savage, funny and rather uncomfortably haunting' The Times 'Ray Robinson's Electricity is a thorny, uncompromising novel, with attitude. It is also -- thanks to Lily O'Connor, its sharp-edged, hard-living, tough-talking narrator -- mesmerising, uplifting and unexpectedly tender' JIM CRACE"

About the Author

Ray Robinson was born in North Yorkshire in 1971. He trained as a graphic designer and spent many years living in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. An award-winning short story writer, he is currently writing his second novel. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Picador (March 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330440691
• ISBN-13: 978-0330440691
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Novel By An Amazing Author, August 22, 2007

By 

Anna (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electricity (Paperback)

Ray Robinson's "Electricity" is a beautifully crafted novel that takes the reader deep into the head and heart of a compellingly genuine narrator, Lily, who is living with epilepsy.

Lily's voice is authentic and direct. Her no-nonsense attitude enables the reader to take a first-hand look at living with epilepsy, without making the disease the center of the narration or plot. Lily is blunt, sometimes almost brutally so, but she is also undeniably honest about her experiences and world. This, combined with her complex and at times conflicting emotions, makes Lily a convincing and completely lovable character.

In Lily, and in her (also intriguing) companions, Robinson gracefully treads the fine line between compelling characterization and caricature without falling prey to the temptation to resort to melodrama, stereotype, or self-pity.

I loved "Electricity." Ray Robinson has done a brilliant job with his first novel, and I look forward to reading his next novel(s), hopefully soon.