Graciously written and capriciously imagined, our endless numbered days holds up a magnifying lens to the human spirit and deftly captures both its fragility and its resilience. Mar 12, 2015 our endless numbered days, claire fullers debut novel, imagines what happens to a young girl when her mother abandons her and her survivalist fathers lies lead to them living in the woods. But the moral of our endless numbered days is massively reductive, especially in light of that. Also i think it would be too easy for peggy and james to be found if they had been in the forest more recently. Once they arrive in a run down shack in a remote forest in germany. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sumaiyyas book for thought our endless numbered days. To ask other readers questions about our endless numbered days, please sign up. Do you have any thoughts, questions or discussions about our endless numbered days by claire fuller. A book must satisfy many criteria for me to award the highest grade. James and peggy, is more important to the book than the seasonbyseason drama of survival in the wild. Books with rich and delicate writing usually make me slow down so i can properly grasp the story, the same happened with our endless numbered days oend. Enough that id like to send a copy to every friend i know so that we can all.
I had the honor of asking claire fuller some questions about the creative process of this story, as well as her personal thoughts on some of the aspects this book approaches. Our endless numbered days is the story of peggy hillcoat, who when she is eight in 1976, spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of the railway children and. It was hard to first get into the setting but once the story really started rolling, i couldnt put it down. Deep in the wilderness, peggy and james make a life for themselves. When you reach the end of this satisfying and beautifully drawn story, youll find that the whole of the book. Feb 16, 2015 in 20 she completed an ma in creative writing, and wrote her first novel, our endless numbered days.
Book club questions for our endless numbered days by. My thoughts on our endless numbered days by claire fuller. Her mother, ute, is a famous pianist and her father, james, is a wacked out survivalist. Wickedly funny, but also filled with pathos and ruminations on our common mortality. Apr 18, 2017 on top of all of this is the title, our endless numbered days. Endless i was binge watching the second series of the ricky gervais netflix series afterlife during the weekend. Fullers novel contains two narrative threads, both narrated in the first person by peggy. Our endless numbered days book the seattle public library. From the author of our endless numbered days and swimming lessons, bitter orange is a seductive psychological portrait, a keyhole into the dangers of longing and how far a woman might go to escape her past. Mom spends her days at the piano, while dad is obsessed with making list after list of items to survive a national disaster. Claire fuller hi brittany, thanks so much for reading it, and sorry about the book hangover. Eightyearold peggy hillcoat suspects her father, james, has gone of. A gripping premise, an unreliable narrator, a growing sense of unease and a cracking twist make our endless numbered days one of those few books i simply couldnt put down. My first impression was that this was a book i could happily bingeread in one sitting, and in the end i did just that well, almost.
Our endless numbered days, swimming lessons, bitter orange, and unsettled ground to be published in 2021. Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from london to a cabin in a remote. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller and optional spoiler ending this is one of those books that you may find gripping and hauntingly beautifulor one that you may hate completely. Our endless numbered days, claire fuller girl with her. Our endless numbered days, which recently won the 2015 desmond elliot prize for debut novels, brings the reader back to nature with its lush imagery. Our endless numbered days book ottawa public library. In the end, the gripping but melodramatic family drama played out, longdistance, between ute, james. Warner chappell, latinautor, cmrra, bmi broadcast music inc. They repair the hut, bathe in water from the river. Our endless numbered days, by claire fuller bellas. At no point did the author portray the days as being endless and we know it has an ending as the book jumps back and forth between present and past.
Pam cady, university book store, seattle, wa description part fairytale, part magic, yet always savagely realistic claire fullers haunting and powerful debut our endless numbered days will appeal to fans of eowyn iveys the snow child and christian baker klines orphan train. This christmas, i received a package from them with the arc of claire fullers debut novel our endless numbered days due out in march and present on at least eight most anticipated books lists plus two candles, a tin of chicken, matches, a ball of twine, batteries, and survivalist lists of what to pack for a trip into the interior. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller 2015 the book our endless numbered days is claire fullers extraordinary first novel. It was also nominated for the edinburgh first book award and was a finalist in the aba.
I read it fascinated by the events unfolding, waiting for the inevitable horrors to occur. Our endless numbered days, by claire fuller sarah jasmon. When you reach the end of this satisfying and beautifully drawn story, youll find that the whole of the book is present in those initial paragraphs. She is told by her father that the rest of the world has disappeared and they set off deep into the woods to a hidden shack where peggy lives with her father for the next nine years, surviving in the wild with only the barest of rations that the forest can provide. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller goodreads. Our endless numbered days, claire fuller girl with. Peggy hillcoat is taken by her survivalist father, james, from their home in london when she is 8 years old. Our endless numbered days is a highly accomplished debut novels. Limited edition copies of the vinyl lp came with a bonus 7 vinyl single. Im irritated that the synopsis of this book seems to give away the ending. What drew me to the book was the mystical type of cover and that it was about a little girl living in the woods. While i found the concept of the book fascinating, i wasnt overly impressed with the execution of the story. Mar 17, 2015 our endless numbered days is a dark novel of the most enjoyable kind and, at the time of writing, the best book i ve read this year.
This is one of those books that you cant stop thinking about days after reading it. From the opening sentence it is gripping, this tale of life pared to its bare essentials, and of innocence hijacked by harm. Our endless numbered days started slow for me but as i read more it grabbed me and i finished 98% of the book in one sitting. Mar 17, 2015 there are many things id like to say about claire fullers debut novel our endless numbered days tin house. Our endless numbered days is the story of peggy hillcoat, who when she is eight in 1976, spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of the railway children and listening to her mothers grand piano. Our endless numbered days, claire fullers debut novel, imagines what happens to a young girl when her mother abandons her and her survivalist fathers lies lead to them living in. Claire fuller is an uk based novelist and short story writer. In the end, she offers an opportunity for catharsis as well as a heartfelt, hopeful call to action. Claire fullers our endless numbered days is poised to.
Book club questions for our endless numbered days by claire fuller part of the richard and judy spring 2016 bookclub. It was that little bit too slow paced for me and had endless descriptive passages which is a bit ironic considering the book title. Claire fuller our endless numbered days the worm hole. They repair the hut, bathe in water from the river, hunt. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller book group questions what do you think of the parenting in the book. Right at the end of the series the soundtrack featured iron and wines song passing afternoon from the 2004 album our endless numbered days. Readers looking for another end of days, survivalist tale with the same trite conclusions will be out of luck with british author claire fullers debut novel, our endless numbered days. To help us recommend your next book, tell us what you enjoy reading.
Mar 28, 2004 our endless numbered days is cleaner, more diverse, and generally sparser than its predecessor, and, given the apparent limits of beams former setup, its also an astoundingly progressive record. In 2015 it was selected by powells as an indiespensible book. Apr 23, 2015 our endless numbered days, by claire fuller take notice of what youre being told in the first few pages of our endless numbered days. Peggy, an eight year old is taken away from the family home by her father, james, a retreater. Here is, firsthand, the creators view of our endless numbered days. Our endless numbered days, which recently won the 2015 desmond elliot prize for debut novels, brings the reader back to nature with its lush imagery and postapocalyptic setting. Do you think parenting in 1976 was different to how we expect it to be done now. Limited edition copies of the cd came with a bonus cd single. He encourages her by saying they were going on holiday to find peggys absent mother ute. The story when she is eight years old, peggy hillcoats father whisks her away to a mysterious mountainside forest to live in a rundown cabin in complete isolation. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller and optional spoiler ending this is one of those books that you may find gripping and. Our endless numbered days, by claire fuller take notice of what youre being told in the first few pages of our endless numbered days. Feb 26, 2015 buy our endless numbered days first edition by fuller, claire isbn.
Bitter orange claire fuller, 2018 tin house books 320 pp. So the beginningintroduction was a bit of a slow start but i kept reading and it was worth it. Our endless numbered days is inspired by fairytales. With our endless numbered days i decided to make peggy about my age, and so it was appropriate that it was set or started out in the 1970s. Beautifully written and utterly haunting, our endless numbered days by claire fuller is about a father who lies to his little girl about the world ending and then runs away into the depths of a forest in germany. The books title refers to the moment when james chooses to stop. It was published in the uk by penguin, in the us by tin house, in canada by house of anansi and bought for translation in 15 other countries. Claire fuller answers your questions ask the author. They repair the hut, bathe in water from the river, hunt and gather food in the. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller penguin books. Our endless numbered days by claire fuller, paperback.
Like emma donoghues room, fullers thoroughly immersive debut takes child kidnapping to a whole new level of disturbing. Our endless numbered days won the 2015 desmond elliott prize. Fullers understated prose makes it all the more chilling, and it is in the tiny details that. Traversing topics of love, race, and class, this emotionally complex novel speaks toand may reverberate. Our endless numbered days is a dark novel of the most enjoyable kind and, at the time of writing, the best book ive read this year.
This is a domestic thriller situation in the middle of a forest. Our endless numbered days claire fuller october 1, 2015 books books claire fuller contemporary fiction december 2015 peggy is eight when her survivalist father abducts her from her london home and takes her to a remote woodland hut, telling her that the rest of the world has been destroyed. We read this book as our december book of the month after being recommended by a difference book club. Our endless numbered days, perhaps with a caveat that the ending is pretty grim. Our endless numbered days is about an eight year old girl called peggy who lives with her mother and father. Oct 26, 2016 this is one of those books that you cant stop thinking about days after reading it. If youre in the mood for an overly long, repetitive book, full of irresponsible, selfish, and completely crazy adults, a questionable protagonist, written by an author that withheld information from the reader until the end of the sordid tale to make the ending more melodramatic, then you might enjoy our endless numbered days.
There are many things id like to say about claire fullers debut novel our endless numbered days tin house. Our endless numbered days was a waterstones book club title all the way back in january 2016, and one i read back in my bookselling days. So i pushed for our endless numbered days to be a book of the month a. Originally started for one of my sampling blog posts, our endless numbered days was so compelling, so early on that i had to continue. Author interview in conversation with claire fuller. Our endless numbered days is a good novel, in my humble opinion. Our endless numbered days audiobook by claire fuller. Our endless numbered days tells the story of how peggy hillcoat was kidnapped by her father james, deceived into believing the world had ended, and forced to live in the wilderness for most of her adolescence. Watch for claire fullers newest novel, swimming lessons, coming january 2016 winner of the desmond elliott prize for best first novel both shocking and subtle, brilliant and beautiful, a poised and elegant work that recalls the early work of ian mcewan in the delicacy of its prose and the way that this is. Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from london to a cabin in a remote european forest. The brilliant ending, like the best endings do, casts new light on all that comes before it. To that end, he tells her that the world beyond the hills on the horizon is gone.
Shiny new books claire fuller is a truly exceptional writer, and this book is quite unforgettable. Oct 11, 2018 fullers first novel, our endless numbered days, won the 2015 desmond elliott prize for new fiction and her second, swimming lessons, was a 2017 book of the month selection. In the end, the gripping but melodramatic family drama played out, longdistance, between ute, james and peggy, is more important to the book. The narrator of fullers new novel, frances jellicot, is in her 60s in ailing health.