A Ladder to the Sky - Couverture rigide

Praise for A Ladder to the Sky:

An ABA IndieNext Pick 

"A Ladder to the Sky is clever, chilling and beautifully paced; a study of inner corrosion that Patricia Highsmith herself could not have done better... wickedly astute." 
–The Times (London) 

"Maurice Swift is a literary Tom Ripley . . . a first-class page turner." 
–The Guardian

"A deliciously dark tale of ambition, seduction and literary theft . . . compelling and terrifying . . . powerful and intensely unsettling . . . in Maurice Swift, Boyne has given us an unforgettable protagonist, dangerous and irresistible in equal measure. The result is an ingeniously conceived novel that confirms Boyne as one of the most assured writers of his generation."
– The Observer         

"Boyne’s fast-paced, white-knuckle plot, accompanied by delightfully sardonic commentary on the ego, insecurities, and pitfalls of those involved in the literary world, makes for a truly engrossing experience."
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Boyne expertly explores notions of originality and authorship through multiple first-person accounts of the despicable Swift. As a result, his latest novel is absorbing, horrifying, and recommended.”
– Library Journal (starred review)
 
“An all-consuming ambition to be a successful writer drives a young man down unusual paths to literary acclaim in this compelling character study.... Boyne's singular villain and well-sustained tension merit a good audience.”
– Kirkus (starred review)

“Well-crafted...The novel unfolds in an extremely layered manner, but what Swift’s story slowly reveals says much about publishing, pride, deceit, and plagiarism—and worse, much worse.”
– Booklist

"Maurice Swift, as cold and manipulative a character as you’re likely to meet this year . . . the story takes an ever darkening series of twists and turns . . . John Boyne is a master storyteller . . . this chilling and darkly comic tale of unrelenting ambition." 
– Express

"Skillfully constructed, and above all, compulsively entertaining...The finest novel of the year."
– The Irish Examiner

"A dark morality tale in the mold of Patricia Highsmith . . . consistently intriguing."
– Daily Mail
 
“As a study in the self-rationalizing ‘ethics’ of a psychopath, this book is fascinating. As a story, it is horrifically plausible.”
– The Sunday Independent
 
"A riot of a read... An author at the top of his game who knows exactly what he wants to say.”
– The Sunday Times
 
“Irresistibly readable and darkly funny.”
– The Irish Independent

"A highly enjoyable romp that lifts the lid on authorial vanity and jealousy and an intelligent take on cultural appropriation." 
– Monocle

"Boyne has had fun creating a charismatic psychopath . . . it’s engrossing stuff." 
– Saga

"Boyne delivers a perfect balance of pace and detail to keep you gripped throughout."
– i Newspaper

A seductive, unputdownable psychodrama following one cunning, ruthless man who will stop at nothing in his pursuit of success

“Clever, chilling, and beautifully paced; a study of inner corrosion that Patricia Highsmith herself could not have done better.”  -- The Times (London)
Maurice Swift is handsome, charming, and hungry for fame. The one thing he doesn’t have is talent – but he’s not about to let a detail like that stand in his way. After all, a would-be writer can find stories anywhere. They don’t need to be his own.
 
Working as a waiter in a West Berlin hotel in 1988, Maurice engineers the perfect opportunity: a chance encounter with celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann. He quickly ingratiates himself with the powerful – but desperately lonely – older man, teasing out of Erich a terrible, long-held secret about his activities during the war. Perfect material for Maurice’s first novel.

Once Maurice has had a taste of literary fame, he knows he can stop at nothing in pursuit of that high. Moving from the Amalfi Coast, where he matches wits with Gore Vidal, to Manhattan and London, Maurice hones his talent for deceit and manipulation, preying on the talented and vulnerable in his cold-blooded climb to the top. But the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall...
 
Sweeping across the late twentieth century, A Ladder to the Sky is a fascinating portrait of a relentlessly immoral man, a tour de force of storytelling, and the next great novel from an acclaimed literary virtuoso.