Think of England: A Novel

(Paperback)

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The writer who dazzled with her story collections IN THE GLOAMING and NAKED TO THE WAIST makes her triumphant debut as a novelist. It has been said that children are great observers but poor interpreters. Nine year old Jane MacLeod thinks she's responsible for the tensions between her parents, which conflicts with her strong desire to be part of a happy family. She wishes everyone would follow her grandmother's advice in times of crisis - think of England - a phrase that makes her feel safe. When the MacLeods gather for a long-awaited event, the Beatle's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Jane sees in the band the same profound pining she feels in herself. But later that night a traged dashes her hope for the future and burdens her with guilt for decades to come. Years later, Jane travels to London where happiness surely awaits. Yet it isn't until she is in her forties with a child of her own that Jane interprets the past with wisdom and discovers the secret of family happiness. Joyce Carol Oates has said that each of Alice Elliott Dark's short stories 'exudes the gravitas of a radically distilled novel.' With THINK OF ENGLAND, Dark rises to Oates's prescient praise, revealing herself to be a master of the longer form.

Reviews

The New Yorker Everything in this book is a pleasure to read. Los Angeles Times Alice Elliott Dark is the author of two acclaimed story collections, and her debut novel has the same finely observed, hushed ambience that makes her stories so seductive...The story of Jane MacLeod unfolds beautifully across Think of England's three panels, each one a perfect evocation of its time and place. Orlando Sentinel Dark's prose is controlled yet resonant, and the novel...draws its substance from her compassionate insight into character, its grace from her observance of small yet defining moments...Now when we think of England, we'll think of this fine book.

Author Bio

Alice Elliot Dark is the author of NAKED TO THE WAIST and has won numerous awards. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey.