Alice and the Fly: 'a darkly quirky story of love, obsession and fear' Anna James

by James Rice

Overview

'Powerful' Closer

'A darkly quirky story of love, obsession and fear . . . a beautiful story hung around the enchanting and heartbreaking voice of teenager Greg' Anna James

Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore.

The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories - Herb's death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah - but none of these are what caused the phobia. I've always had it. It's Them.

I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple.

For fans of Sarah Winman, Junot Diaz and Maria Semple, Alice and the Fly is an unforgettable book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners, families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love - in any of its forms - and nurturing it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781444790115
Publisher:	Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd.
Publication date:	01/15/2015
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	729 KB

About the Author

James Rice lives in Liverpool. In 2011 he completed an MA in Writing at Liverpool John Moores University and has since finished his debut novel, Alice and the Fly - the first chapter of which won the Writing On The Wall Festival's novel-writing competition 'Pulp Idol'. He also writes short stories, several of which have been published, and writes songs with his friend Josh, which he sings in a very high-pitched voice people have charitably referred to as 'unique'. He is currently working on his second novel.

Follow James on Twitter: @James_D_Rice
#aliceandthefly

Editorial Reviews

02/29/2016
When Greg “Fly” Hall, a teenager from wealthy Skipdale, falls for a girl named Alice from poverty-stricken Pitt, he imagines that he can save her from her abusive father and bully of a brother. But Greg—labeled “psycho” by his classmates for his uncontrollable fits, lisp, and non-communicative nature—faces a challenging route to protecting Alice. With his workaholic father, dance-obsessed sister, and social-climbing mother involved with their own interests, Greg resigns himself to following Alice and watching out for “Them,” imaginary spiders that threaten to devour Greg and those he loves. Told alternately through Greg’s diary and police transcripts, Rice’s debut maintains an atmosphere of increasing dread as Greg gets closer to an approaching party and as memories from his youth, including a boating accident and a dementia-afflicted grandmother, feed into his paranoia. Despite the misguided help of his teacher and his mother, Greg skirts closer to psychosis with chilling nightmares that indicate his schizophrenic state. In the heartbreaking ending, Rice poses compelling questions about guilt, responsibility, and the culture of objectification that lead to Greg’s final acts. Ages 12–up. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Debut novelist Rice has turned in an extraordinarily accomplished effort, beautifully plotted and structured, emotionally resonant, and filled with multidimensional characters, especially, of course, Greg, whose condition of being is never less than persuasive -and that will excite a keen empathy from readers. May he have many of them."—Booklist, Starred Review









''This is a novel about loneliness, and Rice vividly evokes the isolation of all those trapped inside the need to present a socially valid exterior. His writing is fuelled by a powerful sense of empathy, even for those whose aspirations he so expertly ridicules.
For all the bleakness it portrays Alice and the Fly is an oddly uplifting novel.''





— The Guardian









"Alice and the Fly is a darkly quirky story of love, obsession and fear. A disconcerting but beautiful story hung around the enchanting and heartbreaking voice of teenager Greg."





—Anna James, The Bookseller









''One of the most stunning debuts I've read in a long time. The talent behind it is huge.''







—Helen Walsh, author of The Lemon Grove

"gives a good insight into the unstable mind of a troubled young man, and I would definitely read more from this author."—A House of Books

"It's thrilling, gripping, heart-stopping and somehow moving at the same time. This isn't a story for the weak of heart. I'm still blown away that this is actually the author's debut and I'll definitely be checking out whatever he puts out next."—Quite the Novel Idea

"The novel takes on a disturbing and creepy feeling as it progresses and I couldn't dare put it down."—Book Likes

"It is no small feat to get into the mind of a disturbed teen. But James Rice does so skillfully in his debut novel . . . Rice propels readers into and beyond J.D. Salinger territory . . . This book may make readers take another look at the misfits among us whom we dismiss at their - and society's - peril."
—Star Tribune


"the world needs more books like this"—Silke Reads and Writes

From the Publisher

2016-03-02
A schizophrenic English youth is destined for tragedy. Greg is a dysfunctional, shy, white teen with a severe lisp and a dark, muddled past. In an effort to make a connection, his English teacher asks him to write everything down in a journal. Rice's debut novel is made up of that journal's pages interspersed with police reports and interviews between officers and Greg's acquaintances. As Greg pines for a girl he barely knows and rants about Them, spiderlike creatures that only he can see, readers will quickly realize that Greg is schizophrenic and in dire need of help. Through Greg, the author shines a light on the many ways society fails those with mental illness, and readers are held captive in Greg's psyche hoping for someone, anyone to notice that this boy needs a second look. The interspersed police reports provide readers with their only glimpse of the world outside of Greg's point of view, and the tragic tone these interviews take does little to give readers hope. These interviews muck up the book's pacing a bit. Greg's story is quickly revealed to end in violent tragedy, and after 200 or so pages of Greg's brooding, many readers will be impatient. Supporting characters are poorly drawn, most given just one or two defining characteristics, and the police interviews don't flesh them out. A flawed novel examining a worthy subject. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews