Compared by Time Out magazine to a contemporary Catcher in the Rye, Alexander Stuart's The War Zone was chosen as Best Novel of the Year for Britain's prestigious Whitbread Prize when it was first published. It was instantly stripped of the award - amid much controversy among the judges - due to the novel's uncompromising yet sometimes ironic portrayal of incest and adolescent fury.
The War Zone follows its teenage narrator, Tom, whose world is torn apart as he stumbles upon a complex and intensely abusive relationship between his older sister, Jessie, and their father.
The novel has been published in eight languages and was turned into a multi-award-winning film, directed by Oscar-nominated actor/director, Tim Roth.
This newly revised and updated 20th Anniversary Edition includes an Afterword by Tim Roth, explaining what drew him to this controversial subject matter. It also contains both the original British and American opening chapters of the book, Alexander Stuart's diary of the making of the film, and an introduction that includes a remarkable letter from Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange.
"From the novel's first scene, the material is explosive" - The New York Times Book Review
"Stunning...mysterious and deeply moving" - The Observer, London
"The Catcher in the Rye of the 90s" - Time Out, London
The War Zone follows its teenage narrator, Tom, whose world is torn apart as he stumbles upon a complex and intensely abusive relationship between his older sister, Jessie, and their father.
The novel has been published in eight languages and was turned into a multi-award-winning film, directed by Oscar-nominated actor/director, Tim Roth.
This newly revised and updated 20th Anniversary Edition includes an Afterword by Tim Roth, explaining what drew him to this controversial subject matter. It also contains both the original British and American opening chapters of the book, Alexander Stuart's diary of the making of the film, and an introduction that includes a remarkable letter from Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange.
"From the novel's first scene, the material is explosive" - The New York Times Book Review
"Stunning...mysterious and deeply moving" - The Observer, London
"The Catcher in the Rye of the 90s" - Time Out, London
