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A Spark of Light

On sale

30th October 2018

Price: £16.99

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Selected: Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9781444788129

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THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘A writer the world needs to be reading right now’ The Independent

‘An apposite and nuanced novel… Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision.’ Red

‘A very special novel about a very difficult subject.’ Grazia

‘Her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios’ The Sunday Times

The Center for women’s reproductive health offers a last chance at hope – but nobody ends up there by choice.

Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.

Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.

Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people – the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment – to this point.

And certainties unwind as truths and secrets are peeled away, revealing the complexity of balancing the right to life with the right to choose.

What's Inside

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Reviews

Clare Mackintosh
A second after I read the last page I turned back to the start and read the whole thing again... I loved everything about it: the structure, the characters, the prose... all wonderful.
Daisy Buchanan
An urgent, shocking and human story.
Financial Times
It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes
The Book Bag
Expertly written... This topical novel presents both sides of the ever-present abortion debate in the form of a harrowing, thought-provoking story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page
Red
An apposite and nuanced novel... Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision
Good Housekeeping
Jodi Picoult's novels are always thought-provoking and her new one, A Spark of Light, addresses abortion rights.
Prima
Full of topical issues, this is a great book club read
On My Bookshelf
A special, important and powerful read. Jodi Picoult doesn't play safe - she examines, and pokes and brutally honestly tells us how it really is, and she always stays professional.
Books and Lovely Things
A book that will no doubt inspire debate. Jodi has done a marvellous job of writing a novel fraught with tension and difficult situations. Her writing shows that she has done an incredible amount of research... It is a hard hitting novel and difficult topics have been handed incredibly well.
Women and Home
Picoult's novels are meticulously researched and she never shies away from controversial material. Told in reverse chronological order, each character's story draws the reader in
Sunday Mirror
A timely, powerful and emotive novel
Grazia
With an intricate backward-weaving structure, a host of compelling voices and her captivating tone, this is a very special novel about a very difficult subject
Irish Independent
She has delivered a tough yet compassionate read that is guaranteed to spark debate
Heat
...this emotionally charged and thought-provoking drama cements Picoult's status as one of the most fearless novelists writing today. A Spark of Light is not only topical, unflinching and utterly compelling, it's also an important read.
The Independent
A writer the world needs to be reading right now
Woman's Weekly
A thought-provoking read that explores the intertwined fates of a group of very human characters
Evening Standard
The tense novel tackles two of the biggest issues facing America today: abortion and gun control and unravels what bought these people to this point
The Sunday Times
Like a modern Mrs Gaskell or a contemporary such as John Grisham, her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios
Image Magazine
A truly powerful, thought-provoking - and timely - read
Irish Sunday Independent
Meticulously researched... The reverse narrative works exceptionally well
Irish Times
A matchless talent for hitting emotional notes
Best Magazine
The queen of issue-based fiction
Happiful
Picoult creates a gripping novel that explores the tough decisions people face very day
Mail on Sunday
More seat-edge drama from the doyenne of hot-topic lit
Woman Magazine
Tackles a divisive issue with incredible sensitivity
Pandora Sykes, The High Low Podcast
The incredible thing about this book is the level of research. She interviewed 151 women who'd had an abortion
Dolly Alderton
Incredibly compelling and page turning
Daily Mirror
Despite challenging subject matter and a confusing structure, this novel is sure to spark debate.
That's Life
A Spark of Light, by one of our favourites, Jodi Picoult, will get you thinking and really stay with you.
Washington Post
Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate, A Spark of Light is Picoult at her fearless best.