In 1981, Muriel Spark was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for her brilliantly mischievous novel, where art and reality collide
A would-be novelist takes inspiration from life - but then finds the tables are mysteriously turned.
When Fleur Talbot takes up work for the snobbish Sir Quentin Oliver and the venal members of his Autobiographical Association she is secretly delighted. Here is inspiration for her villain, Warrender Chase. But when Sir Quentin steals the finished manuscript for his own lunatic ends, life begins to imitate art with uncanny - and dangerous - predictability, for more than one of her characters has met an untimely end…
From reading guides and extracts to illuminating features, find out more about our August Book of the Month here.
