The Suicide Club by Sarah Quigley

A brilliantly written story of love and friendship.

Three misfits – close to genius, close to the brink – come together in a desperate love triangle in this compelling novel.

When Bright is suddenly catapulted to fame, he can’t cope with the pressure. He decides to end it all by jumping from the 20th floor of a high-rise on his twentieth birthday. He’s saved by the quirky, eccentric Gibby, and soon the two boys find themselves in a love triangle, vying for the attention of the beautiful, brilliant, unreachable Lace, and also trying to protect her from harm.

The three misfits – close to genius, close to the brink – travel from England to a beautiful old spa town in Bavaria. Here, in an experimental institution under the colourful Dr Geoffrey, the pressure mounts. Soon it’s no longer clear who’s in the greatest danger, and who needs saving the most.

Unflinching, but tender and often humorous, The Suicide Club is an examination of the last taboo in our society – as well as our deep human desire to connect. It explores why we feel the need to extinguish our lives, how we can pull back from the edge, and how – by saving ourselves – we can sometimes also save the people we love.

Sarah Quigley

Reviews

“ This is writing fuelled by a vivid energy. . . sophisticated, gritty fiction that readers will be pleased to encounter. ”

Paul Little, North & South

“ What a delight, now, to pick up Sarah Quigley's The Suicide Club, and be transported to England and a cast of youthful, brilliant, yet fractured characters. . . . For Lace, "life is one long process of losing . . . Suicide is a tough, emotionally charged subject and Quigley pulls no punches. Yet she also writes with humour. Her characterisation of the minor players verges on farce. But it doesn't diminish the subject's seriousness. Rather, it relieves the darkness, shines a light on the "weirdness" of us all, and lifts the heart. . . . This book is beautifully written and thought provoking. This time next year it could well be Quigley standing on the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards stage. ”

Colleen Hawkes, Sunday Star-Times

“ This is a beautifully, almost lyrically, written novel by New Zealand author Sarah Quigley. It is a story of love and friendship, tragedy and loss. The book dares to discuss one of society’s last taboos – the desire to end it all when life becomes too much. Quigley treats the topic with sensitivity and compassion but doesn’t flinch from confronting its harsh and haunting reality. Although there are undoubtedly dark moments, as is probably inevitable given the title of the book, there are many wonderfully lighter moments. There is humour amongst the pain. . . This is a haunting and thoughtful story, a very clever novel. ”

Tiffany Matsis, The Reader, Booksellers New Zealand's blog

“ Sarah Quigley's latest novel tackles a serious contemporary issue - youth suicide - with a light and thought provoking touch. . . . With a cast of likable quirky characters, liberal use of black humour, and the occasional almost farcical event, Quigley still manages to give the subject matter the respect it deserves. Very clever and very readable. ”

Latitude

Trade Paperback

9780143771012

May 1, 2017

RHNZ Vintage

416 pages

RRP $38.00
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EBook

9780143771029

May 1, 2017

Random House New Zealand

416 pages
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Extract

THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF IT ALL

In the minutes before Bright O’Connor tumbled nineteen floors to his death, he thought about everyone he’d ever known. Even those he wished he’d had nothing to do with flickered there in the high windy darkness, lit by a row of harsh spotlights intended to illuminate only the image on the side of the building. Get out of my floodlighting! hissed the billboard girl with the three-foot-high pout — and Bright might well have said the same words, had he not been preoccupied with staring down his past.