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by Jesús Carrasco (author), Margaret Jull Costa (translator)
A searing dystopian vision of a young boy's flight through an unnamed, savaged country, searching for sanctuary and redemption - a debut novel from one of Europe's bestselling literary stars.
A young boy has fled his home. He's pursued by dangerous forces. What lies before him is an infinite, arid plain, one he must cross in order to escape those from whom he's fleeing. One night on the road, he meets an old goatherd, a man who lives simply but righteously, and from that moment on, their paths intertwine.
Out in the Open tells the story of this journey through a drought-stricken country ruled by violence. A world where names and dates don't matter, where morals have drained away with the water. In this landscape the boy - not yet a lost cause - has the chance to choose hope and bravery, or to live forever mired in the cycle of violence in which he was raised. Carrasco has masterfully created a high stakes world, a dystopian tale of life and death, right and wrong, terror and salvation.
"Starred Review. Harshly and elegantly told; a quest that feels both old and new." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. "A dynamite debut by a writer whose dark and symbolic view of an ominous society seems frighteningly realistic." - Library Journal
"[A] terrifying, and violent tale told in sparse, taut prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy... [P]assages of lovely writing coupled with the jaw-clenching tension and moments of hope make this a welcome introduction a new voice." - Publishers Weekly
"Undeniably impressive and compelling." - The Scotsman (UK)
"[A] tale told with savage precision, and filled with memorable passages." - The Times Literary Supplement (UK)
"The writing is austere with flourishes of great beauty from an exceptional translator." - The Independent (UK)
"A harrowing, humane, and very beautiful book." - Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You
This information about Out in the Open was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jesús Carrasco was born in Badajoz, Spain, and now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Out in the Open, his debut novel, was a huge bestseller in Spain, published in more than twenty-one countries, and is the winner of many international awards, including the European Union Prize for Literature 2016 and an English PEN award.
Margaret Jull Costa has been translating Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American fiction for more than twenty years, including authors like Javier Marías.
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