'Beautifully written and very clever. I absolutely loved it' - PD James'A literary espresso. Joan Smith's latest novel, tautly plotted and tightly written, will jump start your brain. A wise, witty, gritty book, but also laced with compassion. Once I picked up this book, it wouldn't put me down again' - Kathy Lette'Almost a political thriller (with) a dash of chick lit, a sprinkling of sleuthing and a hint of literary highbrow. The action rolls along at a fine pace and there is a good dose of glamour, too.'- Lucy Atkins, The Sunday Times'A literary espresso. Joan Smith's latest novel, tautly plotted and tightly written, will jump start your brain. Once I picked up this book, it wouldn't put me down again' - Kathy Lette'An intriguing weave of thriller, polemic and satire, with a good dollop of soap thrown in. Smith eavesdrops in newsrooms and strolls around the corridors of power like a left-leaning Anthony Trollope' - The Times'Smith has won more attention for her sharp non-fiction and journalism than for her five works of crime fiction. This new novel is set in 1997 in Lebanon, where a young journalist is investigating the death of an Englishwoman' - Nicholas Clee, the Bookseller --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
“It’s beautifully written and very clever . . . marvellously structured and hugely enjoyable. I absolutely loved it.” —PD James, author, Children of Men
"This haunting, carefully structured novel looks at loss, love, ambition against the backdrop of our era's thorny problems in the Middle East. The backstage look at Parliament was riveting, while the media feeding frenzy surrounding Princess Diana's death was more chilling than the murder of Aisha Lincoln, Smith's model-turned-goodwill-ambassador. I've always loved Loretta Lawson, but in What Will Survive, Smith has produced her strongest writing." —Sara Paretsky, award-winning creator of the V. I. Warshawski detective novels
"It's a brave woman who raises female genital mutilation on page three and goes on to tackle the complexities of Hezbollah and Lebanon's relationship with Israel alongside women's role in the media. But tackle them Joan Smith does, in a novel that is part thriller, part travelogue and wholly original. . . . This is a bold take on some tough material." —The Independent
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