ART OF THE BODY

Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, this fascinating debut is about a gifted artist with cerebral palsy and his young carer Janet who is struggling to find her way in the world. Brutal, tender, philosophical, visceral, complex and so well written, it is a deft exploration of two entwined lives. The character of Janet is incredible, utterly believable and this is one of those books that sneaks under your skin and expands you. Thoughtfully devised, it is a disquieting and unsettling read about the balance of power, cruelty and compassion, a multi-layered exploration of the able and the disabled body. Through the experiences of Janet who shares with us her enthusiasm and disappointment, love and loss, care for others and self-loathing, we discover the possibilities a disabled body offers which is far from incomplete or needing to be fixed. Beyond describing in vivid detail Sean's disability, Alex Allison uses it to pave new literary ground, making use of unusual figures of speech that allow the reader access to another way of looking at the world. Janet is caught between care work and caring for herself and her life revolves around Sean, a talented fine art student living and working with cerebral palsy. Both are new to London and far from their families, finding a means of escape through pushing their bodies to the limit. When Sean is faced with an unexpected and deeply personal tragedy, Janet must let her guard down at last and discover what she's prepared to fight for. 259pp, paperback.