KAREN MCLEOD

IN SEARCH OF THE MISSING EYELASH
Betty Trask Award Winner

‘Tremendous. It is so good about loneliness and want and what it's like to wander about in this country right here right now, and such a mix of hilarious and untakeable, poetic and delicate and tough, it feels like a twenty-first century version of Nell Dunn, a kind of writing that lets you see the state of things. Its kindness is I think one of the most buoyant things about it - it pulls love and gentleness out of nowhere - and makes other shapes of things, different shapes for things, unexpected shapes of things, stimulating and important and generous, which is pretty cunning, and very satisfying. Wonderful.’ Ali Smith

This is a story of a young woman who has lost her way. Her father is gone, her mother has disappeared and her little brother, Simon, went missing a month ago and has been spotted in the local swimming baths wearing a woman’s one-piece bathing suit with padding in ‘two certain areas’. It was ok when she had Sally as her girlfriend, but Sally has gone off with a fat-necked man with googly eyes and shows no signs of missing her ex-lover, or wanting her back. If only she could stop stalking her… At least nothing has changed at Ruby’s cafe, where she works as a waitress, serving shepherds pie and cups of sugary tea to the dotty old regulars.

In Search of the Missing Eyelash is a novel about family and love and loss, about what happens to your head when everything shifts, about the dreadful aching fear of being alone and the lengths people go to to prevent it. It’s a novel about sex and gender; of secrets and disguises; of heartbreak and sadness and loneliness; of perception and truth and lies. It’s an astonishing read, hilarious and heartbreaking in a breath, perfect for fans of Ali Smith or Julia Darling. And it establishes Karen Mcleod as one of the most exciting and ambitious new voices around.

'A marvellous debut: quirky, honest, funny and sad. I loved it.' Sarah Waters ‘It's a sparkling novel - short and deftly written, so good on the minor details that make up our lives. It's a deeply serious book about longing and loneliness and identity, but also so sweetly funny throughout and everything about it rings beautiful and true.’ Peter Hobbs author of The Short Day Dying ‘Startlingly original and fresh. A hilarious and heartbreaking story of loneliness, disappointment (and stalking), it's crisply and cleanly written, yet undeniably powerful. Deftly manages the reader's emotions and anticipations.’ Gay Times 'Sensitive, ferocious and very funny' Helen Oyeyemi, New Statesman

‘Loneliness, love and loss seep from this bittersweet debut novel.’ Financial Times

'an accomplished debut ... [Mcleod] has written a novel that is both comic and moving as it explores ideas of self, of gender, identification and loneliness' Observer

‘Mcleod’s writing has a generosity of spirit that celebrates difference and turns the story of one person’s small sorrows into a wonderfully moving tale of loss, loneliness and love.’ Metro (Fiction of the Week)

'never half-hearted and often full-on ... a dazzling debut' Tom Adair The Scotsman

'this is a book fairly bursting with character... a promising debut, full of heart, imagination and fun.' Independent on Sunday

'Cracker of an opening line in Karen Mcleod's debut: "I woke up in a foreign armpit." That pretty much sums up the dry, deadpan, intriguing style of this novel, which manages to combine sitcom-style farce with movingly understated heartache. Mcleod can add "novelist" to her CV with aplomb.' Saturdan Guardian Review

Material: Finished copies
Sales: Jonathan Cape UK; Berlin Verlag Germany; Meulenhoff Holland, Munhakdongne Korea; Gema Greece.

Karen Mcleod is an air hostess. She is also a burlesque queen and a performance artist. She is 34 and lives in south London. This is her first novel. She is currently writing her second novel.