White City

Kevin Power's novel "White City" is a darkly funny, gripping, and profoundly moving story about a life spinning out of control, a life lived without familial love, and the corruption of material wealth. It was shortlisted for the 2021 An Post Irish Book Awards and praised for its sharp and smart dissection of contemporary materialism. The novel follows Ben, the only son of a rich South Dublin banker, as he flounders through a world of drugs and dead-end jobs, his self-esteem at rock bottom. When he runs into an old school friend who wants to cut him in on a shady property deal in the Balkans, he sees it as a way to escape his troubles and become rich. However, things are not as they seem, and Ben is being followed everywhere he goes. Someone is being taken for a ride, but who? "White City" is a powerful exploration of class, entitlement, and masculinity, and is likely to be the most solid, well-rounded novel to come out of Ireland this year.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 464 pages
Publication date: 17 March 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

From the acclaimed author of Bad Day in Blackrock, the inspiration for the 2012 award-winning film What Richard Did, comes a darkly funny, gripping, and profoundly moving novel about a life spinning out of control, a life lived without the bedrock of familial love, and the corruption of material wealth that tears at the soul.

"It was my father's arrest that brought me here, although you could certainly say that I took the scenic route. Here is rehab, where Ben, the only son of a rich South Dublin banker, is piecing together the shattered remains of his life. Abruptly cut off, at the age of 27, from a life of heedless privilege, Ben flounders through a world of drugs and dead-end jobs, his self-esteem at rock bottom. Even his once-adoring girlfriend, Clio, is at the end of her tether.

Then Ben runs into an old school friend who wants to cut him in on a scam: a shady property deal in the Balkans. The deal will make Ben rich and, at one fell swoop, will deliver him from all his troubles: his addictions, his father's very public disgrace, and his own self-loathing and regret. Problems solved.

But something is amiss. For one thing, the Serbian partners don't exactly look like fools. (In fact, they look like gangsters.) And, for another, Ben is being followed everywhere he goes. Someone is being taken for a ride. But who?

Praise for White City:

"I can't recommend it enough. It's often hilariously funny but it's also a sharp and smart dissection of contemporary materialism." - John Boyne, author of The Heart's Invisible Furies

"An immensely enjoyable and tautly written account of a young man from an affluent family whose life of privilege is turned upside down." - The Irish Times

"A darkly funny, gripping and profoundly moving novel about a life spinning out of control, a life lived without the bedrock of familial love, and the corruption of material wealth that tears at the soul." - The Sunday Times

Weight: 366g
Dimension: 132 x 197 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781847399410