Love this! That Holly Smale beginning is incredible - a gamble that really works. The Secret History beginning has always been one of my favourites (that needs a re-read). My favourite recent beginning would be What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma (International Booker shortlisted): "Waterboarding, I told my mother. It's when someone places a cloth over your face, then continually pours water over it. It feels like drowning. It is drowning. And you're going to do it, she said. Yes." It's a really interesting book, and that really had me hooked.
Oh, that's a great opening line! I am absolutely a sucker for dialogue to start with. Perhaps it's something akin to eavesdropping, or hearing a fragmented conversation that you can't help but piece together. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to look the Jente Posthuma book!
It’s a great book - we chose it for our Book Club at London Writers’ Salon - the topic sounds heavy but it’s written so beautifully. Quite different to my usual reads. Oh, and no quotation marks throughout.
Love this! That Holly Smale beginning is incredible - a gamble that really works. The Secret History beginning has always been one of my favourites (that needs a re-read). My favourite recent beginning would be What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma (International Booker shortlisted): "Waterboarding, I told my mother. It's when someone places a cloth over your face, then continually pours water over it. It feels like drowning. It is drowning. And you're going to do it, she said. Yes." It's a really interesting book, and that really had me hooked.
Oh, that's a great opening line! I am absolutely a sucker for dialogue to start with. Perhaps it's something akin to eavesdropping, or hearing a fragmented conversation that you can't help but piece together. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to look the Jente Posthuma book!
It’s a great book - we chose it for our Book Club at London Writers’ Salon - the topic sounds heavy but it’s written so beautifully. Quite different to my usual reads. Oh, and no quotation marks throughout.