Alys, Always: A superbly disquieting psychological thriller

Product Information

New Paperbacks NEW PAPERBACKS [jsb_filter_by_tags count="15" show_more="10" sort_by="total_products"/] A selection of recent paperbacks.

Some of the interpretations of the narrator felt different to my own, an inevitable consequence of audio books over reading from print. Frances later learns that the woman did not survive the accident; later yet, she learns that "Alice Kite" was actually Alys Kyte, the wife of a famous and successful author. One evening, driving home in the rain after visiting her parents, she comes across an overturned car crumpled on the side of the road. Mum said she couldn’t understand herself in a place that doesn’t have any seasons,” says Polly at one point. To make this metamorphosis she manipulates her way into the Kyte family, using the young daughter Polly as her key, and very soon this pays off.Simply knowing the famous Kytes gives her kudos: at one point she kisses Laurence on the cheek in public — then checks that her boss has seen her.

See our Remarkables Archive list for what is no longer in print, but which we are happy to track down. Instead, the chief pleasure of this evening lies in the continuous satirical jibes at journalism and at family life (pictured below). Frances turns up to give – and maybe pad out – her account of Alys’ last words, and finds a particularly eager listener in Laurence’s daughter.

Sitting with the family over a glass of wine, Frances sees that Polly's neediness might just be her route into the Kyte family and, through Polly, Frances might just find her way into Laurence's life - which, of course, is her main aim. Perhaps the very fact that such a bore can attract so many women is a comment on the lure of fame, but what a trite comment this is.