Editions

Narcissism for Beginners

Narcissism for Beginners

Longlisted for the 2017 Guardian Not the Booker Prize

Meet Sonny Anderson as he tips headlong into adulthood. Sonny doesn’t remember his mother’s face; he was kidnapped at age five by his father, Guru Bim, and taken to live in a commune in Brazil. Since the age of ten, Sonny has lived in Redondo Beach, California, with his guardian Thomas Hardiker. Brits think he’s an American, Americans think he’s a Brit.

When he turns 21, Sonny musters the courage to travel alone to the UK in an attempt to leave a troubled past behind, reunite with his mother and finally learn the truth about his childhood. With a list of people to visit, a whole lot of attitude and five mysterious letters from his guardian, Sonny sets out to learn the truth. But is it a truth he wants to hear?

Narcissism for Beginners is a fresh, witty and humane take on the struggle to make sense of growing up.

Reviews

  • "A classic coming-of-age story exploring themes of identity, addiction, narcissism and neuroticism."

    Big Issue

About the Author

Martine McDonagh

Martine McDonagh is the author of two acclaimed novels, I Have Waited, and You Have Come and After Phoenix. She wrote her first story at age 8 while growing up in the grounds of a psychiatric hospital, and carried on writing throughout her 30-year career in the music industry as an artist manager (to James, Fujiya & Miyagi, and others). She is currently programme Leader on a new MA Creative Writing & Publishing at West Dean College in West Sussex, and she is working on a sequel to Narcissism for Beginners.

Martine McDonagh

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