- Published: 9 May 2019
- ISBN: 9781473565319
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 384
What Red Was
‘One of the most powerful debuts you’ll ever read’ (Stylist)
- Published: 9 May 2019
- ISBN: 9781473565319
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 384
Subversive and sophisticated… [Rosie Price’s] exploration of sexual violence and class makes for an unforgettable read
Elle, **Books to Look Out for in 2019**
An incredibly nuanced exploration of the complexities of sexual violence, WHAT RED WAS heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent. This is an important book.
Louise O'Neill, author of ASKING FOR IT and ALMOST LOVE
WHAT RED WAS is a gripping novel that shines an unflinching light on trauma and its prismatic impact. A deeply necessary book, elegant and assured even as it burns at the centre with cool, clear-eyed rage.
Sophie Mackintosh, author of THE WATER CURE
[A] conversation-starting novel about love, violence and toxicity from [a] subversive new voice
Evening Standard
A confident and provocative debut
John Boyne, The Times
One of the best books I've ever read about female rage and transgression, and the boundaries of both family and art, shot through with gorgeous prose, wrapped in a thrilling plot. WHAT RED WAS is at once incredibly timely and one for the ages. An assured and stealthily brilliant debut that people will be talking about for a long time
Lisa Gabriele, author of THE WINTERS
Bringing together themes of survival, agency, complicity, self-denial and, ultimately, courage, this assured book is one of the most powerful debuts you’ll ever read.
Stylist
Price never takes the obvious route or goes for an easy resolution. A writer to watch
Sarra Manning, Red
A subversive and sophisticated debut
ELLE
A powerful read
Nina Pottell, Prima
A provocative read… Brave and hard-hitting
Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express
Rosie Price has a dazzling gift for rendering the mechanisms of power and privilege viscerally real--whether that power is as concrete as a hand over a face, or more amorphous, subtle, and difficult to name. With its penetrating insight into the texture of trauma and its enthralling prose, this is a book that succeeds in prying open our cultural moment and laying it bare for scrutiny
Alexandra Kleeman, author of YOU TOO CAN HAVE A BODY LIKE MINE
A brave and hard hitting read
Psychologies, *Book of the Month*
This exceptional debut is not for the faint-hearted… An honest account of an escalating situation and a woman’s bravery in speaking out
Woman
As a meditation the trauma of rape, Price’s debut is compelling and thought-provoking… the darker the narrative grows, the more brightly Price’s prose glimmers
Hephzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday
What Red Was introduces an exciting new voice to fiction… Narratives are cleverly interwoven to create a richly textured whole. The writing is polished, wise and possessed of remarkable emotional intelligence. Price is just 26; I cannot wait to see what she produces next
Hannah Beckerman, Observer
This debut is incredibly wrought, smartly written and very, very timely… powerful
UK Press Syndication
Impressive
Patricia Nicol, Sunday Times
Alcoholism, strained friendship and trauma, as well as the power of storytelling, are all sharply expressed
Ella Walker
Feel the sharp edge of Price’s prose… capturing the horrendously common nature of rape…is Price’s greatest accomplishment
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Guardian
A scorching and original read... The story of a young girl whose life is torn apart
Style Summer Reading, Sunday Times
An exceptionally accomplished debut novel with strongly drawn characters. It is nuanced, true to life and it will make you burn with rage. Price has not shied away from tackling challenging material here: consent, sexual assault, substance abuse, self-harm and depression are just some of the topics that she deftly examines
SheerLuxe
Unputdownable... A powerful and haunting tale of friendship, privilege and abuse
Independent
Moving, vivid, confronting and bold, What Red Was is an urgent story told beautifully
Dolly Alderton
This outstanding debut novel explore the aftermath of trauma as well as class, addiction and family dynamics
Hannah Beckerman, Sunday Express, *Books of the Year*
What Red Was is an impressively successful debut... if you are looking for a gripping yet thought-provoking read which will have you hooked from the first page, look no further than What Red Was
Libby Wright, Palantinte