Skip to product information
1 of 1

Goldsboro Books

9780224101974

J

J

by Howard Jacobson

Publisher Jonathan Cape

Genre: General Fiction

Released:


Regular price £25.00
Regular price Sale price £25.00
Sale Sold out
Rendering loop-subscriptions
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Available from:

Limited Edition Copies

View full details

About the book

Shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize

Shortlisted for the 2014 Goldsmiths Prize

Set in the future - a world where the past is a dangerous country, not to be talked about or visited - J is a love story of incomparable strangeness, both tender and terrifying.

Howard Jacobson, one of Britain’s greatest novelists and winner of the 2010 Man Booker prize, has written a novel which 'may well come to be seen as the dystopian British novel of its times'. (John Burnside, Guardian)

Two people fall in love, not yet knowing where they have come from or where they are going.

Kevern doesn’t know why his father always drew two fingers across his lips when he said a word starting with a J. It wasn’t then, and isn’t now, the time or place to be asking questions.

Ailinn too has grown up in the dark about who she was or where she came from.

On their first date Kevern kisses the bruises under her eyes. He doesn’t ask who hurt her. Brutality has grown commonplace.

They aren’t sure if they have fallen in love of their own accord, or whether they’ve been pushed into each other’s arms. But who would have pushed them, and why?

Hanging over the lives of all the characters in this novel is a momentous catastrophe – a past event shrouded in suspicion, denial and apology, now referred to as What Happened, If It Happened. J is a novel to be talked about in the same breath as Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World, thought-provoking and life-changing. It is like no other novel that Howard Jacobson has written.

Collapsible content

About the Author

Howard Jacobson

Howard Eric Jacobson is a British novelist and journalist. He writes comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters. He is a Man Booker Prize winner.

  • Professionally Packed

    All of our books that have a dust wrapper are covered in clear protective, removable film and are packed professionally in bubble wrap and a box for shipping so that they reach you in perfect condition.

  • Book Condition & Notes

    Very good first edition, some yellowing to upper edge. This book is located in our Brighton store, and may take longer for delivery.

  • The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    David Headley

    As the leaves turn and the evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a brilliant new book to escape into.  With so many incredible titles being released...

    David Headley

    The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    As the leaves turn and the evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a brilliant new book to escape into.  With so many incredible titles being released...

  • Glass Bell Winner 2024: Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

    Glass Bell Winner 2024: Clytemnestra by Costanz...

    Rebecca McDonnell

      This evening, Goldsboro Books announced the winner of their seventh Glass Bell Award, Costanza Casati for her evocative Greek retelling, Clytemnestra (Michael Joseph, May 2023).  The Award was presented...

    Rebecca McDonnell

    Glass Bell Winner 2024: Clytemnestra by Costanz...

      This evening, Goldsboro Books announced the winner of their seventh Glass Bell Award, Costanza Casati for her evocative Greek retelling, Clytemnestra (Michael Joseph, May 2023).  The Award was presented...

  • An Interview with David Wragg

    An Interview with David Wragg

    Goldsboro Books

    We recently had the joy of hosting David Wragg as he signed copies of The Company of the Wolf, the sequel to The Hunters in the Tales of the Plains...

    Goldsboro Books

    An Interview with David Wragg

    We recently had the joy of hosting David Wragg as he signed copies of The Company of the Wolf, the sequel to The Hunters in the Tales of the Plains...

  • Goldsboro's Summer Bestseller List: London vs Brighton

    Goldsboro's Summer Bestseller List: London vs B...

    David Headley

    We’re delighted to reveal our summer bestseller lists from our independent bookshops in Brighton and London. This summer has been another incredible season for the book community, highlighting a strong...

    David Headley

    Goldsboro's Summer Bestseller List: London vs B...

    We’re delighted to reveal our summer bestseller lists from our independent bookshops in Brighton and London. This summer has been another incredible season for the book community, highlighting a strong...

1 of 4