Dark Chapter: Hard-Hitting Crime Fiction Based on a True Story - Hardcover

Winnie M. Li

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1785079042 ISBN 13: 9781785079047

Publisher: Legends Press, 2017

Synopsis

An astonishing and unique novel inspired by the author's own story

'I highly recommend Dark Chapter...post-rape numbness, stifled rage, female victim alternating with rapist -- how circumstances and accident come together tragically.' Joyce Carol Oates

Vivian is a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist who often escapes her busy life in London through adventure and travel. Johnny is a 15-year-old Irish teenager, living a neglected life on the margins of society.

On a bright spring afternoon in West Belfast, their paths collide during a horrifying act of violence.

In the aftermath, each is forced to confront the chain of events that led to the attack.

Inspired by true events, this is a story of the dark chapters and chance encounters that can irrevocably determine the shape of our lives.

Book Prizes:

Winner of The Guardian Not The Booker Prize

Shortlisted for The Authors' Club Best First Novel Award

Nominated to The Edgars Awards

Highly Commended for CWA Debut Dagger

What Reviewers and Readers Say:

'Complex and rewarding... an important book, ' Stylist

'Heart-wrenching depiction... Brave, raw and strikingly original, it is a story that will resonate for many years, ' Daily Mail

'An important and moving book about rape and the long process of recovery, ' Cathy Rentzenbrink

'Dark Chapter is a fascinating book, which takes an unflinching look at reality of sexual violence. I have never found myself rooting for a heroine with more urgency than in Dark Chapter, ' Kate Rhodes

'Deftly written, pacey and unflinching, I could not put it down. Winnie M Li is a rare talent with an explosive and timely story. Do not miss it, ' Marti Leimbach

'Dark Chapter is a must-read. It's gripping, compelling and all the more authentic for inhabiting both voices so completely. Stunning, ' Erin Kelly

'Winnie M Li handles alternate points-of-view seamlessly in Dark Chapter, an unflinching lens on the sexual assault landscape and one that should be applauded, ' Ali Land

'An authentic, courageous debut, told with unflinching honesty and exceptional insight, ' A.D. Garrett

'A powerful story, compassionately told, ' Ros Barber

'An accomplished debut, an honest and unsparing story, ' Cath Stanicliffe

'Lyrical, haunting and hypnotic. Winnie Li yanks us into the abyss, luring us to confront the complexities of our humanity before expertly pulling us out. An important novel from a ballsy new literary heroine. A must read, ' Irenosen Okojie

'The novel is as disturbing and entertaining as any crime thriller is. But Li is writing from experience, fictionalising her attack as a way to explore how the legal system treats rape victims, and the real effects of such an experience. Most interestingly, Li fleshes out the mind of the rapist: the experiences that have shaped him and which legitimise his behaviour to himself. I really want lots of people to find it and read it.' Sara Pascoe

'Extraordinarily courageous... humbling... A remarkable book to read in this time.' A.L. Kennedy

About this title

About the Author:

Winnie M. Li is a writer and producer, who has worked in the creative industries on three continents. A Harvard graduate, she has written for travel guide books, produced independent feature films, programmed for film festivals, and developed eco-tourism projects. After graduating with Distinction in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths (where she was shortlisted for the Pat Kavanagh Prize 2015), she now currently writes across a range of media (including a column for The Huffington Post), runs arts festivals, and is a PhD researcher in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics. She was Highly Commended for the CWA Debut Dagger 2015 and also shortlisted for the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize. She lives in London yet is somewhat addicted to travel. Dark Chapter is her first novel.

Follow Winnie online at winniemli.com or on Twitter @winniemli

Review:

'An important and moving book about rape and the long process of recovery.'--Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love

'Deftly written, pacey and unflinching, I could not put it down. Winnie Li is a rare talent with an explosive and timely story. Do not miss it.'--Marti Leimbach, best-selling author of Dying Young and Daniel Isn't Talking

'Dark Chapter is a must-read. It's gripping, compelling and all the more authentic for inhabiting both voices so completely. Stunning.'--Erin Kelly

'A powerful story, compassionately told.'--Ros Barber, winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize and The Author's Club First Novel Award

'Dark Chapter is a fascinating book, which takes an unflinching look at reality of sexual violence. I found myself asking hard questions about society and relationships, but above all I was gripped by the brilliant and complex narrative. I have never found myself rooting for a heroine with more urgency than in Dark Chapter.'--Kate Rhodes

'Complex and rewarding... an important book'--Stylist

'An authentic, courageous debut, told with unflinching honesty and exceptional insight.'--A.D. Garrett

'An accomplished debut, an honest and unsparing story.'--Cath Staincliffe

'Heart-wrenching depiction... Brave, raw and strikingly original, it is a story that will resonate for many years' --Daily Mail

Dark Chapter is a brave and unflinching novel that forces us to confront the meaning of rape from the perspective of a perpetrator whose dehumanisation of women leads him to sexual abuse, and a survivor who draws on her inner strength to transcend the ordeal she endures. The novel is taut with suspense and drama and while shocking and deeply disturbing, it ultimately speaks to the power and triumph of the human spirit.--Bernardine Evaristo MBE

About this edition

• Publisher: Legends Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1785079042
• ISBN 13: 9781785079047
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352