Ten Seconds from the Sun [Paperback]

Russell Celyn Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

A breathtakingly visceral psychological thriller from the author of Surface Tension, which Booklist—in a starred review—praised as "intelligent, original, stylish, ambitious, and brilliantly etched."

Russell Celyn Jones is the author of five previous novels; he is a regular reviewer for the London Times and a former Booker Prize judge.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A tightly written story that delves into one of the few real taboos left in our plundered stock' Sophie Lewis, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'The imaginative command is masterly, the tension unbearable. It grips from first to last' Geoff Dyer 'This is, on one level, a brilliant psychological thriller, so tightly plotted that it's hard to put down. But Celyn Jones achieves more than this. Beautifully and allusively written, the novel is a twenty-first century GREAT EXPECTATIONS that touches on the idea of ruptured childhood innocence and the alarming fact that we may never really know the people we love. Noirishly gripping ... one of the most readable novels of the year' DAILY MAIL 'It's hard to resist the novel's hypnotic pull.' SUNDAY TIMES 'TEN SECONDS FROM THE SUN is breathtakingly visceral and utterly compelling. The combination of the narrator's intimate, confessional approach, unsentimental yet profoundly moving, with the author's gift for narrative and well of riverine detail, is a winning one.' INDEPENDENT 'A grim and gripping read, which quite unexpectedly, at its conclusion, allows a flicker of light and hope.' THE TIMES 'Menacing and deeply uncomfortable, this is a psychological thriller of very high calibre.' TIME OUT 'It's a courageously secular meditation on the possibility of redemption, distinctly reminiscent of Graham Swift's masterpiece, WASTELAND.' BOOKSELLER 'Celyn Jones uses taut prose to create a creeping sense of menace... More than just a clever psychological thriller, this novel is a terrifying exploration of how we define guilt and innocence, truth, fiction and memory.' OBSERVER 'Ferociously powerful and unsettling - long after you've finished reading, the ripples keep on coming. Somehow Celyn Jones zooms in on the innermost edges of personality, the zone where experience, intent and action blur. The effect is both frightening and moving' Julie Myerson

About the Author

Russell Celyn Jones is the author of five other highly acclaimed novels. He is a regular book reviewer for THE TIMES and has written features for numerous national papers. He was the recipient of a Society of Authors Award in 1996.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349117799
• ISBN-13: 978-0349117799
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,227,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark book that is poignantly written, November 7, 2011

By 

Santwana Kar (London, London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Seconds from the Sun (Paperback)

-`Ten seconds from the sun' by Russel Celyn Jones is a fiction written from the point of view of a child-murderer. Rather, someone who murdered a child when he was a child, but after being imprisoned for his crime, he has then been let out with a new identity and has now established a new life. This brings back memories of the murderers of James Bulger, the two-year old infant killed by two ten-year old boys who were released in the UK in 2001, amid much controversy. Beautifully written, the central lead is a humane man driven by love of his children and wife. One could easily imagine sharing dinner with him as he seems far from a monster, but more like a frightened, hunted individual who has paid the price for his past. The family scenes are written with depth and interplay between the characters is interesting. The end of the story is perhaps a little abrupt? The story leaves us more with the feeling of love that the lead character has for his children and wife.