A Cupboard Full of Coats: A Novel

by Yvvette Edwards

Overview

“[A] gorgeously lyrical debut novel….Engrossing and human to the core, Edwards’s novel wrings the heart in the most tender of ways.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The novel is high drama, full of breathtaking tension, and, at times, brought to mind the works of Arthur Miller and August Wilson, both of whom knew a thing or two about secrets spilled across a kitchen table.”
—Attica Locke, author of Black Water Rising

Soon the name on every fiction lover’s lips will be Yvvette Edwards, thanks to her extraordinary debut novel, A Cupboard Full of Coats. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, one of Great Britain’s most prestigious literary awards, and named one of Kirkus Review’s Best Books of the Year, Edwards’s powerful first novel is at once a poignant family drama and a gripping mystery—page-turning literature with an exhilarating infusion of noir. It is the story of Jinx, who believes she played a pivotal role in her mother’s murder, until an old acquaintance appears at her door with seductive air, a long, strange story, and, quite possibly, the bitter truth. A truly stunning work of contemporary literary fiction that packs an emotional punch and keeps readers guessing to the end, A Cupboard Full of Coats is already being compared by critics to the novels of the master, Ruth Rendell.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062183767
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/31/2012
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	81,497
File size:	969 KB

About the Author

Yvvette Edwards is the author of the highly praised A Cupboard Full of Coats, long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, short-listed for the Commonwealth Prize, and named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She resides in the East End of London, and is married with three daughters and a stepson.

What People are Saying About This

Attica Locke

“A Cupboard Full of Coats is high drama, full of breathtaking tension, and, at times, brought to mind the works of Arthur Miller and August Wilson, both of whom knew a thing or two about secrets spilled across a kitchen table.”

Patrik Bass

“I can’t stop talking about this gut-wrenching tale of forbidden love.”

Editorial Reviews

"A novel that pulses with rhythm, texture, language, and a story that keeps you locked to its pages. Brutally honest, expertly woven, and utterly mesmerizing. I loved this book." — Naseem Rakha, author of the international bestseller The Crying Tree

"An impressive debut, particularly notable for its pellucid prose." — Kirkus Reviews

Review Content:Edwards elegantly braids together the lives of three people whose entangled love for the same woman turns sour in this gut-wrenching and gorgeously lyrical debut novel. Fourteen years after Jinx Jackson's mother was killed, "Lemon," a man mysteriously involved in the events of the murder, shows up at her doorstep with crippling news: the murderer is out of prison. Jinx's first instinct is to run. Full well knowing it's "too late for regret," Lemon wants to "put the record straight." And over a period of three days, Edwards sweeps the reader along a stream of memories revolving around Jinx's mother, who chose an abusive relationship over loneliness. "To know her was to love her," and love her these characters did (and do), each in their own way, but some of that love contributed to her murder "in hot blood." Edwards has drawn complicated characters whose voices are as distinct as the choices they have made. Jinx propels the narrative forward with her raw honesty as she unpacks the "private disgrace" that is her life. Engrossing and human to the core, Edwards's novel wrings the heart in the most tender of ways. — Publishers Weekly

In this potent mystery . . . Edwards makes us greedy for the full story.

New York Times

A piercing and engaging narrative that navigates through past and present heartache with tenderness and candor. This promising new author twists and turns words with skill reminiscent of Toni Morrison and Barbara Kingsolver, who similarly explore hidden and revealed secrets.

Booklist

Fans of British psychological thrillers, à la Ruth Rendell, will adore this lyrical debut.

Redbook Magazine

I can’t stop talking about this gut-wrenching tale of forbidden love.

Patrik Bass

A slow-burning heartbreaker of a story. . . [written] with elegant restraint and a sensitivity uncommon in debut novels.

Shelf Awareness

A Cupboard Full of Coats is high drama, full of breathtaking tension, and, at times, brought to mind the works of Arthur Miller and August Wilson, both of whom knew a thing or two about secrets spilled across a kitchen table.

Attica Locke

London-based Edward's debut novel was nominated for the Man Booker Prize and from the opening paragraph to the final sentence, it is easy to understand why. The book's action takes place over three days—albeit through flashbacks to 14 years prior—but fills the pages as if it spans a lifetime. Jinx, the protagonist, is living a life of disarray; she is estranged from her husband, her only son despises spending time with her, and she worries that she is unable to love him. When Lemon, her late mother's one-time boyfriend, turns up unexpectedly, their confessions and discussions propel the plot of the novel. Although the story is strong, Edwards's storytelling is all the more captivating; her imagery and multifaceted characters are invigorating. VERDICT Similar to Toni Morrison's Paradise, this lyrical novel will appeal to lovers of literary fiction.—Ashanti White, Univ. of North Carolina, Greensboro

Library Journal