Genus

In the Britain of a few tomorrows time, physical perfection is commonplace and self improvement has become an extinct expression: all the qualities men and women could aspire to can be purchased prior to birth. "Genus" is a time of genetic selection and enrichment - life chances come on a sliding scale according to wealth. For some there is no money or choice, and an underclass has evolved; London's King's Cross, or The Kross as it is now known, has become a ghetto for the Unimproved. In The Kross, the natural, the dated, the cheap and the dull, live a brittle and unenviable existence. But unrest is growing; tension is mounting and a murderer is abroad in these dark quarters...Acclaimed author Jonathan Trigell's third novel is a breathtaking tour de force, exploring a dystopia of the not-too-distant-a future which will leave readers wondering not 'what if', as the original audience of Huxley's "Brave New World" did, but 'when'. Praise for Jonathan Trigell: "A compelling narrative, a beautifully structured piece of writing, and a thought-provoking novel of ideas. It's a wonderful debut." (Sarah Waters, Chair of the Judges for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize on Boy A). "A fine and moving debut novel...compulsively readable...a rare treat". ("The Independent" on Boy A). "Does for extreme winter sports what Alex Garland's "The Beach" did for backpacking.' ("Financial Times" on "Cham").

About the Author

Jonathan Trigell was born in Hertfordshire in 1974. In 2002 he took an MA in creative writing at Manchester University; Boy A, his first novel, was his thesis for that course. Boy A won the Waverton Award for best first novel of 2004; the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, for best book in the Commonwealth by an author under 35; and the inaugural World Book Day Prize, for the most discussion worthy novel by a living writer. Boy A was turned into a film by The Weinstein Co. and Film 4; directed by John Crowley and starring Andrew Garfield and Peter Mullan. It won a total of four Bafta Awards in 2008; the Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and the Jury and Public Prizes at the Dinard Film Festival. His second novel, Cham, was shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize. It is set in the death-sport capital of the world - Chamonix Mont Blanc, in France - where the author himself now lives, pursuing his passion for the mountains. Cham is currently being worked on by a UK production company. Jonathan is currently researching his next novel, provisionally entitled Tarsus.