{"product_id":"the-body-in-the-mobile-library","title":"The Body in the Mobile Library","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eand other stories\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Staggering and unforgettable storytelling’ Mel Giedroyc\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his retirement at the Vatican, emeritus pope Benedict XVI is hard at work on his\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003emagnum opus\u003c\/em\u003e: a high-school comedy screenplay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt a grimy pub in North London, a doctoral researcher is abducted by gangsters peddling William Wordsworth’s handwritten account of drug-fuelled sex orgies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the West African state of Benin, a politician’s daughter inherits a large cash sum which she can only launder with the help of a random Englishman sourced on the internet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith twenty-one deliciously observed, gloriously mischievous short stories – some previously narrated on BBC Radio 4 or published in literary magazines, others completely new – Peter Bradshaw explores the boundary between the plausible and the absurd, often with a laugh-out-loud gag up his sleeve.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmid the playfulness, he has an enduring warmth and sympathy for every character, however hapless. He offers pinpricks of light in a dark sky of confusion and pain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘These stories go down as easily and deliciously as a tray of chocolates. But beware: each chocolate has a tiny grenade inside! Staggering and unforgettable storytelling’ \u003cstrong\u003eMel Giedroyc\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A face-pullingly interesting read. Characters are sympathetically drawn and their longings, insecurities, vanities and weaknesses feel all too credible.\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eThat’s what makes the rug-pulling moments so effective’\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eThe Body in the Mobile Library\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis mischievous, often raunchy and always teetering on perversity. Much like sex between two of his characters, it is a “a sensually abrasive congress of such abandon” that a mug or two might get broken along the way’ \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Those who have relished Bradshaw’s sharp and perceptive film criticism will not be surprised at the inventiveness and beguiling qualities of this collection of twenty-one sharply turned and beguiling pieces’ \u003cstrong\u003eBarry Forshaw, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrime Time\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ePaperback: 224pp\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ePublished: Lightning Books (April 2024)\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eISBN: 9781785633904\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp data-automation-id=\"dyn-item-description-input\" data-wf-id='[\"307ab714-9ceb-9e8e-e55c-3d6683091197\"]' data-w-id=\"307ab714-9ceb-9e8e-e55c-3d6683091197\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-automation-id=\"dyn-item-description-input\" data-wf-id='[\"307ab714-9ceb-9e8e-e55c-3d6683091197\"]' data-w-id=\"307ab714-9ceb-9e8e-e55c-3d6683091197\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Eye Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42583601152197,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1271\/4023\/files\/BodyintheMobileLibrary_Final.jpg?v=1710862733","url":"https:\/\/www.eyebooksgroup.com\/products\/the-body-in-the-mobile-library","provider":"Eye Books Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}