Joy

A brilliant book... Jonathan Lee is one of those rare, agile writers who can take your breath away. -- Catherine O’Flynn, author of What Was Lost Exquisitely and surprisingly written…[Joy] proves that Lee is a significant talent and that his future work should be well worth awaiting. * Observer * Outstanding ... a forensic portrayal of despair that shows Lee to be an exceptional, brave prose stylist... Funny and humane, Joy is an enormously impressive piece of storytelling. -- Tom Williams * Literary Review * Jonathan Lee’s second novel, Joy (William Heinemann), charts the final day in the life of a high-flying young lawyer. Lee writes with extraordinary vividness, with prose so sharply defined it takes your breath away. -- Elizabeth Day * Observer (Books of the Year 2012) * With its supple prose, ingenious structure, wit and slow-burn sympathy, Joy is a sly miracle of a novel. -- A.D. Miller Lee constructs office scenes easily, weaving together numerous characters and dialogues with flair…the writing crackles. * Independent on Sunday * A major new voice in British fiction. * Guardian * Lee expertly unfoldshis narrative, leading his readers up cul-de-sacs only to reveal their purpose several chapters later. We learn about those who seem to think they knew Joy in their sessions with a counsellor which alternate with her own account. It’s a structure that could easily have backfired but Lee handles it deftly so that each narrative throws light on the other, allowing characters to reveal themselves rather than relying on clunky descriptions. There’s a good deal of black humour in their self revelations and the novel is peppered with nicely comic throwaway remarks. The whole coheres beautifully, leading readers entertainingly to the novel’s shocking and sobering conclusion. Highly recommended, and out in paperback in the first week of June. * A Life in Books * One of Britain’s most exciting writers… A wonderful book. * Stylist * Very stylish, observant and oh so spiky, this is an incredible, often uncomfortable novel that you just can't put down... Modern, vibrant, funny and dark 5/5 * thebookbag.com *