A Ladder to the Sky

Reviews

A deliciously dark tale of ambition, seduction and literary theft . . . compelling and terrifying, powerful and intensely unsettling. In Maurice Swift, Boyne has given us an unforgettable protagonist, dangerous and irresistible in equal measure. The result is an ingeniously conceived novel that confirms Boyne as one of the most assured writers of his generation. Maurice Swift, the novelist protagonist of John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky, is a bookish version of Patricia Highsmith’s psychopathic antihero Tom Ripley. A dark morality tale in the mould of Patricia Highsmith . . . consistently intriguing Everything the wonderful Irish novelist John Boyne writes is special . . . a highly entertaining read Gripping . . . John Boyne is a master storyteller and fans will doubtless be captivated by this chilling and darkly comic tale of unrelenting ambition Boyne delivers a perfect balance of pace and detail to keep you gripped throughout Maurice Swift is a literary Tom Ripley . . . a first-class page turner It charts the rise of Maurice Swift, as cold and manipulative a character as you’re likely to meet this year . . . the story takes an ever darkening series of twists and turns ‘A Ladder to the Sky is endlessness inventive and wickedly funny. Boyne’s irredeemable antihero holds up a brutally well lit mirror to every writer who has ever wondered what they need to do to do that little better...’ Clever, chilling and beautifully paced, a study of inner corrosion that Patricia Highsmith could not have done better Expand reviews