The Painter's Friend

The Painter's Friend
Howard Cunnell
RRP:
NZ$ 32.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 27.05
Paperback
h197 x 130mm - 288pg
14 Apr 2022 UK
International import eta 10-19 days
9781529030945
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
' One of the books of the year. Cunnell' s style is matchless: intimate, dark, sincere, wry and exquisitely beautiful' - Irish Times ' I loved it. Cunnell' s writing has an unforgettable visual and moral clarity' - Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley The painter Terry Godden was on the brink of his first success. After a violent crisis, he finds himself outcast. In his fifties, and with little money, he retreats to a small island. Arriving in the winter, the island at first seems a desolate and forgotten place. As the seasons turn, Terry begins to see the island' s beauty, and discovers that he is only one of many people who have sought refuge here. These independent outsiders, all with their own considerable struggles, have made a precarious home. The island is owned by the business man and art collector Alex Kaplan. His decision to enforce a rent increase as he seeks to improve his property looks set to destroy this community that cannot afford to lose the little they have left. As an artist, Terry believes making the invisible struggles of the island visible to the world will help - but will his interference save anybody other than himself? The Painter' s Friend shows the human cost of gentrification for those dispossessed. The novel also explores the role of art in protest, and asks who gets to be an artist and what they owe in return. Written with visual lyricism and driven clarity, Howard Cunnell' s incendiary story about class and resistance builds to an unforgettable climax. It is an urgent novel for our unjust times.
One of the books of the year. Cunnell' s style is matchless: intimate, dark, sincere, wry and exquisitely beautiful * Irish Times * What a fine book The Painter' s Friend is. At times, a beautiful meditation, at other times the prose ripples with tension and foreboding. Howard Cunnell is a wonderful writer who should be read by everyone -- Sarah Winman, author of Still Life [A] powerful new novel . . . The creation and consumption of art are the novel' s major themes . . . Cunnell' s writing is sharp and vivid, the highly coloured verbal pictures perfectly suited to an artist narrator . . . The most sustained portrayal is that of Terry' s adopted dog, Red: the finest canine characterisation that I can recall * Financial Times * I loved it. Cunnell' s writing has an unforgettable visual and moral clarity -- Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley His finest and most important work to date -- Cathi Unsworth, author of Weirdo Cunnell' s prose is elegantly punchy . . . The valour of his fight is revealed in a story of what can happen when truth is considered idealism and collides with the predatory designs of a property developer. A fine book -- John Healy, author of The Grass Arena Loving in its exploration of creative survival and loss of human habitat. Every fleck and dab of verbal pigment rewards the eye and enriches the design -- Adam Mars-Jones, author of Box Hill Brilliantly plotted and the final act knocked me sideways. Huge themes told through the personal stories of very real people. It was a delight and revelation to read -- David Morrissey, actor A novel of muscular, dark prose with more than a little compassion for damaged lives. I loved it -- Ned Boulting, author of On the Road Bike It' s a timely novel, but it also seems to wear its big issues lightly. The particularity and peculiarity of the setting and cast really brought it to life and gripped me -- Sara Baume, author of spill simmer falter wither
Howard Cunnell' s acclaimed memoir Fathers and Sons was read on BBC Radio 4' s Book of the Week, and described as ' unique, and uniquely beautiful' (Financial Times); it explores his experiences as a fatherless man raising a transgender son. His novel The Sea on Fire ' maps new noir territory in an incandescent underwater world' (Guardian), and draws from Cunnell' s life as a dive guide and scuba instructor. He is the contributing editor of Jack Kerouac' s On the Road: The Original Scroll, which the New York Times called ' the living version for our time' . He lives in Sussex.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781529030945
Published: 14 Apr 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Picador
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback
Height: 197mm
Width: 130mm
Pages: 288

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information