Taking Comfort
When Rob Saunders witnesses a young Japanese student commit suicide, he impulsively takes the folder she dropped as she threw herself under a tube train. He finds himself taking souvenirs from a series of tragic or threatening events, at the same time initiating an edgy affair with a work colleague. His behaviour becomes increasingly obsessive. The lines blur between witnessing, seeking out and initiating tragedy. Things spiral out of control when he discovers a dead body while he’s jogging in the woods. Stylistically bold, technically accomplished, this fast-paced page-turner explores the anxieties and survival strategies of a post-9/11 world.
What the critics say
“Morris’s book is as good as, if not better than, most of the Booker and Whitbread (now Costa) winning novels I’ve read over the last few years (Life of Pi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Vernon God Little come to mind) and deserves all of the attention that has been heaped on those projects.“
Ben Dooley, The Millions
“An eerie, intelligent thriller which will linger long in the mind of the reader”
Thomas Waugh
“A book which opens up your perceptions, challenges your assumptions and
makes you think about language.”
Elizabeth Baines, Fiction Bitch
“There is much to recommend in this novel. Morris can write, and write well.”
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