Quotes
“If this weren’t billed as a debut novel, one would never know it. Sarah
Butler writes with the deftness and delicacy of a master storyteller,
giving us a compassionate, achingly beautiful rendering of a father and
daughter.”
Hillary Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of Mudbound and When She Woke
“Heartbreaking and hopeful, Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love crisscrosses London in a layered search for fathers and daughters, family and home. For anyone who has ever wondered where they belong, or to whom they belong—the answer can be found within Sarah Butler’s tender debut novel.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers
“Butler’s lists have a surprising emotional
resonance. They represent her two narrators’ anguished and perhaps futile
efforts to organize the sad and turbulent parts of life in an intrinsically
chaotic city called London, circa right about now. And they are only the
surface layer of a carefully structured story that invites and even requires
puzzle-solving. This is a novel deeply committed to unfinishedness—the
characters speak in sentences that trail off, plot points are left to be
guessed at or pieced together. As a literary technique, the elliptical style is
enormously effective, keeping the narrative in a constant, trembling state of
tension, which gives the lists a grounding effect. This and the charming,
gritty, and appropriately damp view of London nearly devoid of any Cool
Britiannia elements make for a novel that often evokes strong feeling…There are
a few things in this book that frustrate, but there are many more than ten to
love.” New York Times Book Review
“Increasingly suspenseful…A moving and
satisfying debut” Daily Mail (London)
“This poignant novel about fathers and
daughters, homecoming and restlessness, is also a love letter to London…Butler
has viewed the city in all its weathers and moods, and this shines through on
every page. Equally elegant are her observations of the emotional turmoil of
her main characters as they pace the capital’s highways and byways, united by a
secret…A moving, life-affirming debut.” Marie Claire (UK)
“Graceful and subtle…Butler writes Daniel and his
situation exceptionally well; neither romanticizing nor patronizing…This is a
thought—as well as emotion—provoking novel. Butler coaxes her readers into
different points of view, switching perspectives to explore the pull of
travelling, how far it’s about living, how far running away; whether it can,
sometimes, be better to leave truths untold. It also sparkles with hope.” Independent (London)
“This soulful debut unpacks a family enigma involving a
wandering daughter, a homeless father and their tenuous family ties…Spare
language and an atmosphere of foreboding will keep readers on tenterhooks. Whimsy
and pathos, artfully melded.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Butler’s elegant prose makes this a moving
debut.” Publishers Weekly
“Butler’s poignant first novel has a distinct sense of
place and sympathetic characters who have much in common.” Library Journal