A thrilling Victorian tale of dangerous obsession and betrayal
Sixteen-year-old Marnie lives in the idyllic coastal village of Clevedon. Despite being crippled by a childhood exposure to polio, she seems set to follow in her mother's footsteps, and become a 'dipper', escorting fragile female bathers into the sea. Her life is simple and safe. But then she meets Noah. Charming, handsome, son-of-the-local-Lord, Noah. She quickly develops a passion for him - a passion which consumes her.
As Marnie's infatuation turns to fixation she starts to lose her grip on reality, and a harrowing and dangerous obsession develops that seems certain to end in tragedy. Set in the early Victorian era when propriety, modesty and repression were the rule, this is a taut psychological drama in which the breakdown of a young woman's emotional state will have a devastating impact on all those around her. Alison grew up in Liverpool, and now lives in a medieval house in Somerset with her three teenage children, her partner - a carpenter - an extremely naughty Jack Russell and a ghost cat. She has co-authored a number of non-fiction titles on subjects as diverse as growing old, mad monarchs, how to boil a flamingo, the history of America and the biography of a nineteenth-century baby killer. She has worked as a fashion designer, a production controller, a painter and decorator, a barmaid, and now owns and runs a vintage tea room. THE QUIETNESS was Alison's first novel for young adult readers, and explored the relationship between two girls caught in the dark underbelly of Victorian London. Follow Alison at www.alisonrattle.com or on Twitter: @alisonrattle A thrilling Victorian tale of dangerous obsession and betrayal Author is a graduate of the Bath Spa's Writing for Young People MA A taut, gripping psychological drama set in the Victorian era with great crossover potential Perfect for both teen and adult reading groups Events and workshops with libraries and reading groups in the South West (contact keynotes@hotkeybooks.com) Author is available for special events in schools via Skype in the Classroom initiative For more information go to: www.alisonrattle.com or follow Alison on Twitter: @alisonrattle
