Graham Swift

Here We Are

'A quietly, devastating, magical novel' Daily Telegraph'Beautiful, gentle, intricate... Here We Are smuggles within the pages of a seemingly commonplace tale depths of emotion and narrative complexity that take the breath away.' The ObserverIt is Brighton, 1959, and the theatre at the end of the pier is having its best summer season in years. Ronnie, a brilliant young magician, and Evie, his dazzling assistant, are top of the bill, drawing audiences each night. Meanwhile, Jack - Jack Robinson, as in 'before you can say' - is everyone's favourite compère, a born entertainer, holding the whole show together. As the summer progresses, the off-stage drama between the three begins to overshadow their theatrical success, and events unfold which will have lasting consequences for all their futures. Rich, comic, alive and subtly devastating, Here We Are is a masterly piece of literary magicianship which pulls back the curtain on the human condition.'With a wizardry of his own, Swift conjures up an about-to-disappear little world and turns it into something of wider resonance' Sunday Times'There's nothing extravagant or showy about Here We Are . . . The book's power comes precisely from the fact that it performs its magic in front of your eyes, leaving nowhere to hide . . . you wonder how he does it.' Financial Times'As with all his books, it's the moments of quiet, undramatic poignancy that stay with you' Sunday Express'He tells simple, truthful stories about what feel like real people. Here We Are is a welcome addition to a proud legacy.' The Big IssueThe variety of voices and its historical and emotional reach are so finely entwined, it is as perfect and smooth as an egg. Passages leap out all the time, demanding to be reread, or committed to memory... It is perhaps too simple to say that Swift creates a form of fictional magic, but what he can do with a page is out of the ordinary, far beyond most mortals' ken.' Rosemary Goring, The Herald'Here We Are is a subtle portrait of a vanished world, with moving passages about the problems of wartime evacuees returning to impoverished London life after the wonders of the countryside.' The Independent