Nightingale Point
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2020
LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2020
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
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THE DEBUT NOVEL FROM THE COSTA SHORT STORY AWARD WINNER
‘A sharp, funny, wonderful writer’ Diana Evans, bestselling author of Ordinary People
‘A stunning debut that heralds a new and exciting voice in fiction’ Mike Gayle, bestselling author of All The Lonely People
‘Compelling . . . finely crafted, compassionate’Guardian
‘A warm, confident writer with the lightest of touches’Observer
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On an ordinary Saturday morning in 1996, the residents of Nightingale Point wake up to their normal lives and worries.
Mary has a secret life that no one knows about, not even Malachi and Tristan, the brothers she vowed to look after.
Malachi had to grow up too quickly. Between looking after Tristan and nursing a broken heart, he feels older than his twenty-one years.
Tristan wishes Malachi would stop pining for Pamela. No wonder he’s falling in with the wrong crowd, without Malachi to keep him straight.
Elvis is trying hard to remember to the instructions his care worker gave him, but sometimes he gets confused and forgets things.
Pamela wants to run back to Malachi but her overprotective father has locked her in and there’s no way out.
It’s a day like any other, until something extraordinary happens. When the sun sets, Nightingale Point is irrevocably changed and somehow, through the darkness, the residents must find a way back to lightness, and back to each other.
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What readers are saying about Nightingale Point:
‘A beautiful and heartbreaking story about working-class people and their lives both before and after tragedy’
‘A triumphant debut . . . This book pops, fizzes and sparkles to life’
‘A book I didn’t want to put down. Full of rich characters, beautifully described. It made me cry several times. Highly recommended’
‘A must read masterpiece’
PRAISE FOR NIGHTINGALE POINT -
”'Luan Goldie is one to watch. Her writing is heartfelt and sublime” - Abir Mukherjee, author of A Necessary Evil and Smoke and Ashes
”'So much warmth in the description of a working class community .. . it’s not perfect or idealistic, but it’s warm and recognisable” - Jendella Benson, contributing editor for Black Ballad
”'Pacy, vivid and moving. I read it in two sittings and am still thinking about Tristan and Malachi, as if I knew them from school” - Katy Mahood, author of Entanglement
‘Costa prize-winning author Goldie compassionately explores the ways her characters’ lives are changed, and how they live with the aftermath’ Daily Mail -
”'Pacey and powerful” - Mail on Sunday
”'The type of story that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page” - Closer
”'Brilliant . . . touches on race, mental health and community in a fresh way” - Good Housekeeping
”'Heart-breaking, beautifully told book that really delineates between each character and each aftermath of the plane crash” - i
”''Goldie’s simple, journalistic writing drags you straight into these people’s lives before, during and after the disaster. It’s an approach that strips away artifice and puts you right there in the council estate as hell rains down on these ordinary lives. Brilliant and moving” - Metro
”'Flawlessly portrayed . . . A riveting read” - Candis
”'A story of hope, a cheer to the strength and importance of community and resilience. Beautiful, assured and sincere” - Platinum magazine
”'Gripping from the get-go…Goldie’s talent for writing with pace and creating flawed characters you really grow to care about, makes it all the more affecting…important” - Newcastle Evening Chronicle
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