PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Published by Trapeze (Orion)
Ebook (19 April 2018) | Paperback (28 June 2018)
368 pages
Welcome to my turn on the publisher blog tour for Beautiful Liars. My thanks to Sam Eades and Tracy Fenton for the blog tour invitation.
Isabel Ashdown on Teen Perspectives in Adult Fiction
A strong theme in Isabel Ashdown’s writing is that of adolescence, with several of her adult novels featuring teen perspectives in one form or another. Beautiful Liars is no exception, as it follows Martha Benn’s TV investigation into the long ago disappearance of her best friend Juliet – and through flashback and memory, transports us into their teenage world, eighteen years earlier.
Speaking on this topic, Isabel explains how she embraces the position of youth as a lens through which the adult world can be more honestly viewed: “I recall my own teen years very clearly – the frustration of being more adult than child, yet not being recognised as such – the ever conflicting emotions of bemusement, fury and exhilaration. But most strongly, I remember that sense of being the outsider, the invisible person beyond the glass, looking in – and I think in life, that’s possibly one of the most unsettling emotions there is. I’m an avid reader, and I love an adult book with a teen or child perspective. Here are just a few I recommend, from across the genres …”
1. Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews (as a teen I was obsessed with tales of the Dollanganger family, and in fact my next novel, Lake Child, opens in an attic …)
2. The Cliff House by Amanda Jennings (one to look out for – set in North Cornwall, it’s a beautifully written novel of obsession, friendship and loss – out May 2018)
3. Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land (the disturbing story of Milly, a teenager hoping to reinvent herself, despite her mother’s infamous crimes)
4. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan (a dark, edgy family drama, bursting with secrets and lies – proving that great stories don’t rely on happy endings)
5. Beside Myself by Ann Morgan (a chilling tale concerned with identity, sibling positions and the blurred lines between truth and fiction)
6. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (simply wonderful)
Happy reading!
| About the Book |
Eighteen years ago Martha said goodbye to best friend Juliet on a moonlit London towpath.
The next morning Juliet’s bike was found abandoned at the waterside.
She was never seen again.Nearly two decades later Martha is a TV celebrity, preparing to host a new crime show… and the first case will be that of missing student Juliet Sherman. After all these years Martha must reach out to old friends and try to piece together the final moments of Juliet’s life.
But what happens when your perfect friends turn out to be perfect strangers…?
| Author Bio |
Isabel Ashdown was born in London and grew up on the Sussex coast. Her award-winning debut GLASSHOPPER (Myriad, 2009) was twice named as one of the best books of the year, and she now writes full-time, walks daily, and volunteers in a local school for the charity Pets as Therapy. She is currently a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Chichester.
Author Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon UK | Goodreads
