Eating Air

About the Book

A dancer, a revolutionary, a banker and an Islamic terrorist are fatally linked in this cautionary tale for our times.

Narrated by the irreverent, nigh-club pianist Baron S., and moving between the seventies and the present day, between London, Italy, Holland and Surinam, Eating Air marshals a brilliant cast of characters to tell an explosive story of greed, passion and dangerous ideals.

About the Author

Pauline Melville is the author of two short story collections and two novels. Her first novel, The Ventriloquist's Tale (1997) won the Whitbread First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Shape-Shifter (Telegram) won the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Commonwealth Writer's Prize and the PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award. She has worked as an actress, appearing in films such as Mona Lisa and British television programmes including the BBC Television comedy series The Young Ones. She currently lives in London.

Reviews

'A sharply funny, richly fantastical story, in prose as rich and corrupt as her sensual characters and luxuriant settings... An exhilarating novel that combines myths and modern life with dazzling exuberance.'
Mail on Sunday

'An exotic yet contemporary novel, rich in sensuous understanding., and threaded through with delightful intellectual games.'
Literary Review

'Striking and brilliant... a tale of sensual bliss and comedy.'
Daily Telegraph

'Brilliantly juxtaposes South American and western attitudes to history in a dazzling story.'
Sunday Times

'Melville is a superb storyteller, capable of writing that is both earthly and expansive, sharp and lyrical.'
The Observer

'Shocking and original ... one of the few novels about terrorism that may transcend their time.'
New Statesman