I Have Waited, and You Have Come

(Paperback)

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Rachel fends for herself in a country brought to its knees. Since Jason left two years ago, she only ventures beyond the safety of her storm wall when food supplies dwindle. Her one contact with the outside world is through Noah, who runs the market. Hoping he might be the answer to her isolation, she proposes a date. When another man turns up in Noah's place, she is intrigued and repelled in equal measure. And when Noah denies all knowledge, she sets out to track down the stranger. Could this be a new beginning, or is she being drawn into a dangerous game

Reviews

Mick Jackson: Martine McDonagh writes with a cool, clear confidence about a world brought to its knees. Her protagonist, a woman living alone but battling on into the future, is utterly believable, as are her observations of the sodden landscape she finds herself inhabiting. This book certainly got under my skin - if you like your books dark and more than a little disturbing this is one for you. BBC Radio 4 Open Book: It paints an all-too-convincing picture of life in the rural Midlands in the middle of this century - cold and stormy, with most modern conveniences long-since gone, and with small, mainly self-sufficient, communities struggling to maintain a degree of social order. It is very atmospheric and certainly leaves an indelible imprint on the psyche. Guardian Unlimited: An exquisitely crafted debut novel set in a post-apocalyptic landscape...I'm rationing myself to five pages per day in order to make it last. www.bookgroup.info: A decidedly original tale... Psychologically sophisticated, it demands our attention. Ignore it, O Philistines, at your peril. Booksquawk: This is a troubling, beautifully composed novel, rich in its brevity and complex in the psychlogical portrait it paints. Jean-Daniel Beauvallet, Les Inrockuptibles: Dehumanized and primitive, the world according to this book is material for blurry nightmares, an insidious scary film or accurate lessons in futurology. Martine McDonagh has worked in the rock industry for a long time and her writing still works to this tempo, to these dynamics - physical, sensual and nerve-wracking. Lenny Kaye: The dank post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Martine McDonagh's first novel perfectly suits her tale of obsessive love lost amongst civilization's ruins. The writing touches subconscious strata; the mystery unfolds hypnotically; the reader is drawn into a parallel universe all too frighteningly real. Caustic Cover Critic: Best Books of the Year: A story of sexual obsession and broken trust, with the sodden (and wonderfully rendered) landscape a constant, literally atmospheric presence. Argus: Evocative and intriguing, this novel deserves an audience. Big Issue: Imaginative, clever and darkly claustrophobic.

Author Bio

Martine McDonagh worked in the music industry for 30 years, managing James, Fujiya & Miyagi and other bands, and is now programme leader on the MA Creative Writing & Publishing at West Dean College in Sussex. This is her debut novel. Her most recent is Narcissism for Beginners, published by Unbound in 2017 to considerable acclaim.