High and Low: 'The most mischievous take imaginable on the way we live now' Francis Spufford
About this audiobook
Guardian
'Ambitious and far-reaching'
Spectator
'Terrific'
Philip Pullman
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In the worst day of the year, and on the twelfth day of Christmas, a group of people come under siege in Cross St, North London.
A gang is hunting for a child who has been drawn into crime with tragic results; there is a riot outside the church where asylum seekers have been sleeping, and many cities have descended into fierce protests.
Inside the Literary Cafe, a group of writers, bakers and shopkeepers are sheltering. Their petty feuds and past quarrels must be forgotten if they are to survive a gang armed with knives and a gun.
Over a few hours, the divisions between high and low, old and new, haves and have-nots are thrown into violent contrast. Are they going to try to save themselves, or each other?
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PRAISE FOR HIGH AND LOW . . .
'Craig anatomises the state of the nation with wit and empathy' Jonathan Coe
'The most mischievous take imaginable on the way we live now' Francis Spufford
'Sharp and funny, clear-eyed and unsentimental' Clare Chambers
'She's such a skillful storyteller who vividly dramatises our lives with wit, wisdom and compassion' Bernardine Evaristo
'Mob violence and community spirit battle it out in this satirical state-of-the-nation novel from sharp-eyed, empathetic Craig' Mail on Sunday
'Writing a state-of-the-nation novel that is also tense and funny is no mean feat, but that's what Amanda Craig seems to have accomplished in High and Low... Ambitious and far-reaching' Spectator
'A snapshot of a society reeling from insecurity and division... The storytelling is deft throughout High and Low, and there are several cases of fine creative sympathy' New Statesman
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About the author
Amanda Craig is a British novelist, short-story writer and critic. Before becoming a full-time novelist, she was a journalist for newspapers such as the Sunday Times, Observer, Daily Telegraph and Independent, winning both the Young Journalist of the Year and the Catherine Pakenham Award. She continues to review for, among other publications, the New Statesman and the Times Literary Supplement. Her novels Hearts and Minds and The Golden Rule were both longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, The Lie of the Land was chosen as book of the year by the Guardian, Observer, Telegraph, New Statesman, Evening Standard, Sunday Times and Irish Times, and The Three Graces was chosen as book of the year by a number of publications, including the Spectator and the New Statesman and is being developed into a TV series by Momentum Pictures. She is bringing out a small non-fiction book on Modern Marriage in 2027.
