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These Books Will Shock You…
Posted by Hollie Cruickshank in Book News, News, Virago Book Club
Our first Virago Book Club selection for 2012 is, in fact, two titles – Josephine Hart's unforgettable short novels of obsession, Damage and Sin, both recently published into the Virago Modern Classics list for the first time.
Damage – her first novel – remains one of the most chilling explorations of physical passion and dark obsessive love ever written. Memorably filmed in 1992 starring Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche, the Sunday Times described it as 'genuinely frightening in its ruthless intensity'.
Her second novel, Sin, is a no less devastating portrait of a woman posessed by an obsessive envy who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
We'll be discussing both books for the next three weeks on the Virago Forum, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, and we'll be putting up some extra related content to aid discussion as things progress.
To kick things off Lennie Goodings, who was Josephine Hart's editor, talks about her friendship with the author, and her thoughts about both books:
Lennie Goodings & Josephine Hart
We've also been earnestly talking about both novels. Find out what Virago's first reactions were by clicking here
And don't just take our word for it, read what some of our First Look reviewers have to say:
"The paucity of language is what makes this story (Sin), one of jealous obsession, and incredible, all consuming hatred, so persuasive and shocking. Each word is loaded with meaning."
- Brenda Croskery
"(Sin) was a very small, but powerful book. I am glad I have discovered Josephine Hart. There are more of her books for me to explore."
- Marjorie Lacy
You can start right now and get a taster for both novels by reading the opening chapters for Sin and Damage.
Happy reading!
The Virago team
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