Gliff

Hardback Published on: 31/10/2024
Price: £18.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Gliff
Where Dystopia begins.
Ali Smith continues her project of writing supremely up-to-date stories, this time with a glimpse into a quietly dystopian near future. Two siblings, child... READ MORE
Jack at Glasgow Argyle Street
Gliff
Ali Smith has done it again
The best advice with an Ali Smith book is simply to open the first page and let her whisk you away- trying to sum up the story (or stories) of Gliff before... READ MORE
Tilly at Reigate
Gliff
Our favourite (word)Smith is back!
Ali Smith’s newest creation combines dystopian fiction with the authors talent for layering and extracting every bit of meaning of words, demonstrating the... READ MORE
Melanie
Gliff
A fantastic, thought-provoking book
This was my first Ali Smith book and her writing has amazed me: I will be reading all her books now. I would like to say thank you to the booksellers who ... READ MORE
Julian in Croydon
Gliff
A sudden glimpse
'The void is simultaneously the place where, for me, words first ceased to mean and where, for words, I first ceased to mean too.... That's as much of tha... READ MORE
Alan M
Gliff
Brave New Weird
This is a weird and wonderful dystopian tale, shaped by contrasts: funny and sad; beautiful and ugly; canny and uncanny. Siblings Briar and Rose and their ... READ MORE
The Doctor
Gliff
Sublime!
There's no way I could possibly write a review that does this book justice, but at the same time I simply *have* to say *something* about it. Every Ali Smi... READ MORE
Ross at Glasgow Sauchiehall St
Gliff
Clever and crafted
I went into my proof copy with very little idea what to expect, so I’m going to give you the same courtesy so if you decide to pick it up, you will be equa... READ MORE
Beth at Chesterfield
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Another ray of invention and inspired creation from the author of The Accidental, How to Be Both and the Seasonal Quartet. In what is the first of a duo—Glyph will be published next year—Smith continues to push the boundaries of fiction to thrilling effect.

Synopsis

O brave new world, that has such people in't.

Once upon a time not very far from now, two children come home to find a line of wet red paint encircling the outside of their house.

What does it mean?

It’s a truism of our time that it’ll be the next generation who’ll sort out our increasingly toxic world.

What would that actually be like?

In a state turned hostile, a world of insiders and outsiders, what things of the past can sustain them and what shape can resistance take?

And what’s a horse got to do with any of this?

Gliff is a novel about how we make meaning and how we are made meaningless. With a nod to the traditions of dystopian fiction, a glance at the Kafkaesque, and a new take on the notion of classic, it's a moving and electrifying read, a vital and prescient tale of the versatility and variety deep-rooted in language, in nature and in human nature.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241665572
  • Number of pages: 288
  • Dimensions: 225 x 140 x 25 mm
  • Weight: 367g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Gliff
Latest novel from the Seasonal Quartet Author
Ali Smith has become I would say something of a literary national treasure with "How To Be Both" and the Seasonal Quartet. This is her latest novel and ... READ MORE
Graham Fulcher
Gliff
Thought-provoking - a story of survival in a close to now dystopian future
Ali Smith is the consummate contemporary writer of literature that although appearing minimalist in content has the power to seep deep into you. After h... READ MORE
Stephen - The Bookworm
Gliff
Classic Ali Smith style
'Gliff' by Ali Smith is set in a dystopian time where 'unverifiables' - people who do not fit with the system - are actively segregated and are forced to d... READ MORE
Clare Read
Gliff
Bit strange
Read the whole book but really have no idea what it was about
Donna Barrack
Gliff
Impossible to pin down - in the most intriguing and gripping way
One of those reads that's impossible to pin down - it changes in an instant, seemingly morphing at will between forms depending on it's, and the reader's, ... READ MORE
Small Adventurist
Gliff
A very British near future dystopia
They say there’s a fine line between genius and madness, that bards used to lie out under the stars at night, and might return at dawn as prophets or as lu... READ MORE
Huttson Lo
Gliff
Not a good book to read
Whilst reading this book I have been trying to figure out who the characters are and what the plot line is, as you do with any book that you read that’s th... READ MORE
Sonya Chullan
Gliff
A dystopian story of survival that shines a light on where we are now
Ali Smith is the consummate contemporary writer of literature that although appearing minimalist in content has the power to seep deep into you. After h... READ MORE
Stephen - The Bookworm
Gliff
Dystopian Folklore for the win
I love being invited into the world Ali Smith creates. Even though all her books are quite different to each other, they clearly inhabit the same imagined,... READ MORE
Katy Wheatley
Gliff
Fabulous novel
Ali Smith, one of the UK's greatest novelists, turning her hand to dystopian fiction in her own unique style... count me in! Following the brilliance ... READ MORE
Ben Dutton
Gliff
A masterclass
An incredible author who I feel I could not do justice to either when reading in my own unintellectual way or when attempting to review afterwards. With a ... READ MORE
T Edwards