Empty Room, An (S For The Whitbread First Novel Award 2003)

Description:
'So lucent, so resonant, so exquisitely written and above all, so engaging' Tim Lott After months away, Emily returns to London and to a family on the verge of disintegration. She spends nights in cramped bars, drinking and smoking with her beautiful but damaged boyfriend Tom and his friends. It is a lifestyle that leaves her feeling directionless and jaded. In her search to believe in something or someone, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Simon, Tom's complex and charming cousin. But Simon is married, and as he and Emily become closer and the summer draws to an end they are forced to make decisions that will have a devastating effect on both families. 'Its denouement ought to surprise none but Emily herself, cast adrift in her own love stories, yet An Empty Room echoes with the dreamy unreality of a hot summer night' Observer 'Written with honesty and an element of wistfulness which combine in a voice that is clear and true' Raffaella Barker

Review:
'Perfectly encapsulates the confusions and mistakes of a young adult and tells us something significant about the furies and hurts of first love' Elizabeth Buchan * 'A stunning debut ...exquisite, stylishly written...Stevenson is an original writer, and a name to watch' IRISH EXAMINER * 'A confident and piquant first novel about first loves' GLASGOW HERALD 'The language is evocative...it is compulsive reading' New Books Magazine.

Prizes:
Shortlisted for Whitbread Prize (First Novel) 2003.

Author Biography:
Talitha Stevenson has lived and studied in London, Oxford and Florence. She has written for the Guardian, amongst other publications. She now lives permanently in London.