Lewis Sullivan lives less than a mile from his childhood home. His grown-up daughter visits every day, bringing soup, and he spends his evenings at his second favorite pub for half a shandy and sausage. But when an old friend appears, Lewis finds his comfortable life shaken up, and he longs for more excitement. A modern-day Death in Venice by the author of Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse, He Wants is charged and unpredictable.
Alison Moore is the author of one previous novel, The Lighthouse, and a short story collection The Pre-War House. She lives in Nottingham, England.
Industry Reviews
Acclaim for He Wants"[Moore's] playfulness and the sympathetic and surprising character of Lewis make this artful novel a delightful read."--Publishers Weekly, starred review"Following her Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse, Alison Moore's artistically pleasing second novel is ... a story of ageing and thwarted desire in which a man drifts away from his moorings into Dionysian impulses, after a lifetime spent serving the values of the humdrum contemporary community in which he lives ..."--Rachel Cusk, The Guardian"A nuanced, haunting tale of desire and repressed longing, and a very creditable successor to her quietly stellar debut, The Lighthouse."--James Kidd, The Independent "Moore movingly mines the aching gap between aspiration and actuality."--Anita Sethi, The Observer"The quietness of this novel will make you prick up your ears; this is storytelling that invites and sustains careful attention. [Suffused] with an elusive sadness ... the novel's conclusion both satisfies and bewilders."--Heather Birrell, Toronto Star"An exercise in withholding and revelation ... the climax is perfectly, subtly performed, and beautifully written. DH Lawrence fans in particular should take note."--Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This"Extraordinary, unique, compelling, and deftly crafted from beginning to end."--Midwest Book ReviewAcclaim for Alison Moore and her previous novel, The Lighthouse"Moore's writing has a superb sense of the weight of memory." - The Times"Though sparely told, the novel's simple-seeming narrative has the density of far longer work. People and places are intricately evoked with a forensic feel for mood." - The Daily Mail"It is this accumulation of the quotidian, in prose as tight as Magnus Mills's, which lends Moore's book its standout nature, and brings the novel to its ambiguous, thrilling end." - The Telegraph"The Lighthouse looks simple but isn't, refusing to unscramble what seems a bleak moral about the hazards of reproduction, in the widest sense. Small wonder that it stood up to the crash-testing of a prize jury's reading and rereading. One of the year's 12 best novels? I can believe it." - The Observer Acclaim for He Wants"[Moore's] playfulness and the sympathetic and surprising character of Lewis make this artful novel a delightful read."--Publishers Weekly, starred review"Following her Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse, Alison Moore's artistically pleasing second novel is ... a story of ageing and thwarted desire in which a man drifts away from his moorings into Dionysian impulses, after a lifetime spent serving the values of the humdrum contemporary community in which he lives ..."--Rachel Cusk, The Guardian"A nuanced, haunting tale of desire and repressed longing, and a very creditable successor to her quietly stellar debut, The Lighthouse."--James Kidd, The Independent "Moore movingly mines the aching gap between aspiration and actuality."--Anita Sethi, The Observer"The quietness of this novel will make you prick up your ears; this is storytelling that invites and sustains careful attention. [Suffused] with an elusive sadness ... the novel's conclusion both satisfies and bewilders."--Heather Birrell, Toronto Star"An exercise in withholding and revelation ... the climax is perfectly, subtly performed, and beautifully written. DH Lawrence fans in particular should take note."--Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This"Extraordinary, unique, compelling, and deftly crafted from beginning to end."--Midwest Book ReviewAcclaim for Alison Moore and her previous novel, The Lighthouse"Moore's writing has a superb sense of the weight of memory." - The Times"Though sparely told, the novel's simple-seeming narrative has the density of far longer work. People and places are intricately evoked with a forensic feel for mood." - The Daily Mail "It is this accumulation of the quotidian, in prose as tight as Magnus Mills's, which lends Moore's book its standout nature, and brings the novel to its ambiguous, thrilling end." - The Telegraph"The Lighthouse looks simple but isn't, refusing to unscramble what seems a bleak moral about the hazards of reproduction, in the widest sense. Small wonder that it stood up to the crash-testing of a prize jury's reading and rereading. One of the year's 12 best novels? I can believe it." - The Observer Acclaim for "He Wants" [Moore s] playfulness and the sympathetic and surprising character of Lewis make this artful novel a delightful read. "Publishers Weekly," starred review Following her Booker-shortlisted "The Lighthouse," Alison Moore s artistically pleasing second novel is ... a story of ageing and thwarted desire in which a man drifts away from his moorings into Dionysian impulses, after a lifetime spent serving the values of the humdrum contemporary community in which he lives ... Rachel Cusk, "The Guardian" A nuanced, haunting tale of desire and repressed longing, and a very creditable successor to her quietly stellar debut, "The Lighthouse." James Kidd, "The Independent " Moore movingly mines the aching gap between aspiration and actuality. Anita Sethi, "The Observer" The quietness of this novel will make you prick up your ears; this is storytelling that invites and sustains careful attention. [Suffused] with an elusive sadness ... the novel s conclusion both satisfies and bewilders. Heather Birrell, "Toronto Star""An exercise in withholding and revelation ... the climax is perfectly, subtly performed, and beautifully written. DH Lawrence fans in particular should take note."Kerry Clare, "Pickle Me This""Extraordinary, unique, compelling, and deftly crafted from beginning to end.""Midwest Book Review"Acclaim for Alison Moore and her previous novel, "The Lighthouse" Moore s writing has a superb sense of the weight of memory. "- The Times" Though sparely told, the novel s simple-seeming narrative has the density of far longer work. People and places are intricately evoked with a forensic feel for mood. "- The Daily Mail" It is this accumulation of the quotidian, in prose as tight as Magnus Mills s, which lends Moore s book its standout nature, and brings the novel to its ambiguous, thrilling end. "- The Telegraph" "The Lighthouse" looks simple but isn't, refusing to unscramble what seems a bleak moral about the hazards of reproduction, in the widest sense. Small wonder that it stood up to the crash-testing of a prize jury's reading and rereading. One of the year's 12 best novels? I can believe it. "- The Observer"" Acclaim for "He Wants" Following her Booker-shortlisted "The Lighthouse," Alison Moore s artistically pleasing second novel is ... a story of ageing and thwarted desire in which a man drifts away from his moorings into Dionysian impulses, after a lifetime spent serving the values of the humdrum contemporary community in which he lives ... Rachel Cusk, "The Guardian" A nuanced, haunting tale of desire and repressed longing, and a very creditable successor to her quietly stellar debut, "The Lighthouse." James Kidd, "The Independent " Moore movingly mines the aching gap between aspiration and actuality. Anita Sethi, "The Observer" The quietness of this novel will make you prick up your ears; this is storytelling that invites and sustains careful attention. [Suffused] with an elusive sadness ... the novel s conclusion both satisfies and bewilders. Heather Birrell, "Toronto Star"Acclaim for Alison Moore and her previous novel, "The Lighthouse" Moore s writing has a superb sense of the weight of memory. "- The Times" Though sparely told, the novel s simple-seeming narrative has the density of far longer work. People and places are intricately evoked with a forensic feel for mood. "- The Daily Mail" It is this accumulation of the quotidian, in prose as tight as Magnus Mills s, which lends Moore s book its standout nature, and brings the novel to its ambiguous, thrilling end. "- The Telegraph" "The Lighthouse" looks simple but isn't, refusing to unscramble what seems a bleak moral about the hazards of reproduction, in the widest sense. Small wonder that it stood up to the crash-testing of a prize jury's reading and rereading. One of the year's 12 best novels? I can believe it. "- The Observer"" International Acclaim for Alison Moore and her previous novel, "The Lighthouse" Moore s writing has a superb sense of the weight of memory. "- The Times" Though sparely told, the novel s simple-seeming narrative has the density of far longer work. People and places are intricately evoked with a forensic feel for mood. "- The Daily Mail" It is this accumulation of the quotidian, in prose as tight as Magnus Mills s, which lends Moore s book its standout nature, and brings the novel to its ambiguous, thrilling end. "- The Telegraph" "The Lighthouse" looks simple but isn't, refusing to unscramble what seems a bleak moral about the hazards of reproduction, in the widest sense. Small wonder that it stood up to the crash-testing of a prize jury's reading and rereading. One of the year's 12 best novels? I can believe it. "- The Observer" "
