Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist
by Sunil Yapa
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Pub Date Feb 04 2016 | Archive Date Jan 31 2016
Little, Brown Book Group UK | Little, Brown
Description
1999. Victor, homeless after a family tragedy, finds himself pounding the streets of Seattle with little meaning or purpose. He is the estranged son of the police chief of the city, and today his father is in charge of one of the largest protests in the history of Western democracy.
But in a matter of hours reality will become a nightmare. Hordes of protesters - from all sections of society - will test the patience of the city's police force, and lives will be altered forever: two armed police officers will struggle to keep calm amid the threat of violence; a protester with a murderous past will make an unforgivable mistake; and a delegate from Sri Lanka will do whatever it takes to make it through the crowd to a meeting - a meeting that could dramatically change the fate of his country. In amongst the fray, Victor and his father are heading for a collision too.
Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, set during the World Trade Organization protests, is a deeply charged novel showcasing a distinct and exciting new literary voice.
A Note From the Publisher
Requests from UK readers only please
Advance Praise
‘A vital, powerful read, Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist is an absorbing, multi-faceted, acutely hopeful novel’ - Patrick deWitt, author of THE SISTER, BROTHERS, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
‘A great wrenching beautiful book’ - Laline Paul, author of THE BEES, shortlisted for the Baileys Prize for Fiction
‘A raw and rare talent . . . a symphony of a novel. In the contemporary tradition of Aleksandar Hemon and Philipp Meyer, with echoes of Michael Ondaatje and Arundhati Roy, Yapa strides forward with a literary Molotov cocktail to light up the dark’ - Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin
‘A stunningly orchestrated work of narrative power. This novel marshals all the vital forces of our existence – from the domestic to the political – and offers them to the reader with equal doses of compassion and beauty’ - Dinaw Mengestu, author of All Our Names
‘Its heart beats and bleeds on every page . . . This book is delightfully, forcefully alive, and I feel more alive for having read it’ - Eleanor Henderson, author of Ten Thousand Saints
‘A full-throated chorus of voices on all sides . . . Sunil Yapa has achieved something special, a story that is as tragic as it is relevant, as unflinching as it is humane. Watch out’ - Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781408707395 |
| PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
Featured Reviews
Janis S, Reviewer
This is a brilliant book. It blew me away in a way I didn't expect. I didn't expect it to pull so strongly on my emotions and towards the end my tears were flowing.
The story is set in Seattle in 1999 and spans one day. The city is getting ready for one of the biggest protests in the history of western democracy, against the World Trade Organisation meeting being held there. The Police are ready for the protesters; the protesters are ready to do what they do. A delegate is desperately trying to get to an important meeting at the WTO talks but his way is blocked by Police and protesters.
The story is mainly set around a father (who happens to be the Police Chief) and his estranged son, two of the police officers, two of the protesters and the delegate.
The story started fairly slowly, introducing us to the characters. However the tension is cleverly built up as the story proceeds. I could almost physically feel the build up of frustration, fear, anger, rage and desperation in the characters. You can sense the tensions bubbling up and the situation ready to explode into violence. I got a feeling the day was not going to end well although I still had a glimmer of hope that some of the problems might yet be resolved.
The story reaches a climax but in the final chapters we also get a glimpse of how each of the main characters are affected by the events of the day.
The story was told from the perspective of the various characters as it happened and also in flashback to previous times. I quite like this format as I think in this case we had a better insight into the particular characters.
It is basically a story about how decisions and incidents (big and small) taking place during one day can have a huge effect on lives. For me the story made me think about some of the issues raised in the book.
I tend to be more of a 'surface' reader, reading for entertainment whether it be thriller, crime, biography, romance. I just like reading. I think this story will stay with me for a while.
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