The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence will be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club on Monday 23 February.
The book was selected with the help of a panel made up of Reading Agency and library staff from across the UK.
The Mirror World of Melody Black
Life has its ups and downs. From the author of The Universe Versus Alex Woods comes a dark, painful and witty novel about a woman whose life is spiralling out of control.
“You’re going to find some of my actions frustrating. I’m hard to live with, maddening, uneven – I get that. But I can’t stand around listing my faults or we’ll be here for ever. All I ask right now is that you indulge me. For as long as it lasts, this is going to be one hell of a ride.”
Selection Panel Review
Our reading panel of librarians and staff from The Reading Agency loved The Mirror World of Melody Black – here are some of their comments:
“I’ve never really read anything like it – you’re reading this book, and you think you know what’s going on and then it just completely switches on you and becomes something different and fantastic. Just read it, the less you know going in the better your experience will be.”
“Truth be told, I spent the first 100 pages waiting for the plot to kick in, until I got to the middle and realised that it had kicked-in ages ago and what I’d written off as a really eccentric protagonist was in fact someone completely different. Then it all makes sense. Then it gets really good. This book explores mental illness and the effects that it can have on your life, your love and your health. It’s an easy, accessible, relatable read that’s covered in a very sensitive and moving way.”
About the author
Gavin Extence lives in Sheffield with his wife, children and cat. He has written two novels, The Universe Versus Alex Woods (which was shortlisted for the 2013 Desmond Elliott Prize) and The Mirror World of Melody Black.
A word from Gavin
“I’m thrilled to be part of this winter’s Radio 2 Book Club. This was the ‘difficult second novel’, and I felt a huge amount of trepidation when I started writing it. So it’s wonderful to receive such a big vote of confidence now that it’s finished. As a writer, you just want to know that people are enjoying your work – there’s really no better feeling!”
Get involved
Tune in to Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show on Monday 23 February to hear a live interview with Gavin Extence talking about his book.
Have you read The Mirror World of Melody Black? You can share your thoughts on Twitter, or by posting a comment in the space below.
Win 10 copies of The Mirror World of Melody Black for your reading group – just complete our short survey.
Want to find out more? The Radio 2 Book Club has a dedicated Twitter feed.
