Alice and the Fly: ‘a darkly quirky story of love, obsession and fear’ Anna James

Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. It's Them. I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple.[in a different colour/font]This is a book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners. It's about families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love – in any of its forms – and nurturing it. [quotes can be placed around the blurb, not nec. just at the bottom]'A powerful novel' Closer 'This is a novel about loneliness, and Rice vividly evokes the isolation of all those trapped inside the need to present a socially valid exterior . . . an oddly uplifting novel' Guardian 'One of the most stunning debuts I've read in a long time. The talent behind it is huge.' Helen Walsh, author of The Lemon Grove[Author photo]James lives in Liverpool. He is currently working on his second novel. Follow him on Twitter @James_D_Rice. #aliceandthefly