Ilona Bannister

A rich, bighearted debut that takes us from working-class Staten Island in the wake of the September 11th attacks to moneyed London a decade later, revealing a story of loss, motherhood, and love, perfect for fans of Gail Honeyman and Ann Napolitano. As the Twin Towers collapse, Gigi Stanislawski flees her office building and escapes lower Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry. Among the crying, ash-covered and shoeless passengers, Gigi, unbelievably, finds someone she recognizes--Harry Harrison, a British man and a regular at her favorite coffee shop. Gigi brings Harry to her parents' house where they watch the television replay the planes crashing for hours, and she waits for the phone call that will never come; the call from Frankie, her younger brother. Ten years later, Gigi, now a single mother consumed with bills and unfulfilled ambitions, meets Harry, again by chance, and they fall deeply, headlong in love. But their move to London and their new baby--which Gigi hoped would finally release her from the past--leave her feeling isolated, raw and alone with her grief. As Gigi comes face to face with the anguish of her brother's death and her rage at the unspoken pain of motherhood, she must somehow find the light amid all the darkness. Startlingly honest and shot through with unexpected humor, When I Ran Away is an unforgettable first novel about love--for our partners, our children, our mothers, and ourselves--pushed to its outer limits.

A Novel

When I Ran Away

When you can't get out, let kindness in. In a non-descript building in a gentrifying corner of London, Penny is doing daily battle with her mind. She is convinced that the world beyond her door is too dangerous for her, though her heart knows it isn't. Penny's neighbour, Carla, an American expat and single mother of two teens, has lived in a coercive relationship for many years, too worn down by her controlling husband to escape her situation. Mable, Penny's upstairs neighbour, an elderly Jamaican pensioner and devout Jehovah's Witness, has sacrificed everything for her faith, including her relationship with her family. And Woman, the housekeeper and nanny on the second floor, has been trafficked. When she is not cleaning and cooking, she works in the laundrette the landlord owns on the ground floor, a hidden slave in full view of the public. Through grocery deliveries, glimpses through windows, and overheard conversations in the stairwell, the women come to know each other. Their small acts of compassion help them each find a way to mend the broken paths in their lives.

Little Prisons

Cinque sconosciuti. Cinque minuti all'arrivo del treno per Londra. Cinque minuti alla morte di uno di loro. È mattina presto e sulla banchina di una stazione di periferia come tante altre, cinque persone aspettano il treno per Londra. Non si conoscono, eppure fra poco accadrà qualcosa che le legherà per sempre. Tra loro ci sono Emma, madre esausta alle prese con le bizze del figlio; Liam, uomo d'affari abituato a vincere; la signora Worth, anziana burbera e diffidente, e Sonny, giocatore d'azzardo che ha già perso troppo. Vite diversissime, traiettorie lontane, che si raccontano una dopo l'altra, rivelando quale concatenazione di eventi li abbia condotti proprio lì, in quel momento, su quel binario. Segreti, colpe, scelte sbagliate, piccoli e grandi tradimenti: ogni storia aggiunge un tassello, ogni minuto che passa stringe il cerchio. Perché mancano cinque minuti all'arrivo del treno. E uno di loro morirà. Ma questa è una verità che solo il lettore conosce. In un gioco spietato e quasi perverso, il narratore chiama in causa chi legge, lo costringe a entrare nelle vite dei protagonisti, a giudicarli, a chiedersi chi meriti davvero di essere salvato e chi no. Ma quando il treno finalmente arriva e il conto alla rovescia si azzera, le scelte fatte contano davvero? Un thriller dallo stile tagliente e caustico, un dramma teso e incalzante che intreccia le strade di cinque sconosciuti ed esplora temi come il destino, il sacrificio e il vero significato della vita.

Five (edizione italiana)

Ein Bahnsteig. Fünf Fremde. Fünf Minuten, bis ein Leben endet ... »FIVE – Das Ticken der Zeit« ist ein außergewöhnlicher psychologischer Pageturner voller persönlicher Dramen und Hochspannung, die sich bis zur letzten Seite steigert. Fünf zu Herzen gehende Schicksale. Die Uhr tickt. Noch fünf Minuten, bis jemand stirbt: Ist es Emma, die unter der Last des Mutterseins fast zerbricht? Ihr Sohn Gideon, dessen kindliche Unbezähmbarkeit zur gefährlichen Falle wird? Der Geschäftsmann Liam, der in einen Streit mit Emma gerät? Die störrische Wissenschaftlerin Mrs Worth, die endlich ihre Enkel wiedersehen will? Oder der hilfsbereite junge Sonny, der kurz davor ist, sein Leben zu verspielen? Sie alle warten an einem Londoner Bahnsteig auf den Zug. Einer von ihnen wird dessen Ankunft nicht überleben. Sie alle haben Schicksale. Manche von ihnen haben Geheimnisse. Wir werden alles über sie erfahren, während wir mit ihnen auf den Zug warten. Während der Streit eskaliert. Während Panik ausbricht. Während die Uhr gnadenlos heruntertickt ... Brillant geplottetes Thriller-Drama für alle, die mehr suchen als nur den Täter Ilona Bannisters Spannungsroman spielt sich in Echtzeit ab und verwebt die Schicksale von fünf ganz normalen Menschen zu einem Teppich, der so bunt, so unvollkommen und so dramatisch ist wie das Leben. Nur einer weiß, was in fünf Minuten geschehen wird. Und er (oder sie?) verrät nur so viel, dass wir bis zum Ende wie gebannt an den Seiten kleben.

Roman | »Absurd gut. Messerscharf und von düsterem Thrill. Unvergesslich.« Chris Whitaker

FIVE - Das Ticken der Zeit

Five lives. Five stories. Four will live—one will die. Who it will be? In this slow-burn masterpiece of psychological fiction, the choice is all yours. “Five is a gripping, chilling story that asks difficult questions about judgement, forgiveness, and the notion of cause and effect.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark Have you ever tried to pass the time by imagining the lives of the strangers standing next to you? Ilona Bannister’s Five introduces readers to five seemingly random people waiting for a train. But these are not just any five people. From the beginning we know that one of them is going to die soon. Very soon. In five minutes the next train to London will arrive, killing one of them. But before this happens you will learn their stories. None of these people are saints. Readers might fall in love with the beautiful young man who is on the verge of gambling his life away. They may pity the cantankerous old woman who has fallen to the ground yet is refusing help. Perhaps readers will look away from the child throwing a tantrum. Or judge his mother, who must surely be to blame. And some will be curiously compelled by the successful and damaged businessman orbiting them all. These are the candidates for this morning’s misfortune. But they don’t know it. Only you know. And you, our complicit reader, will not be able to resist deciding who deserves to walk away, and who deserves only five more minutes to live. An incredibly original novel that breaks the fourth wall and asks the reader to be judge, jury, and executioner, Five looks at some of the most complicated issues of contemporary life: motherhood, disability, addiction. Every stranger has a story. And in Ilona Bannister’s skillful hands, five people’s stories come together to create an unforgettable novel.

Five

'Ridiculously good. Razor-sharp, wickedly funny, and darkly thrilling ... Unforgettable' Chris Whitaker, Sunday Times bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train ... five minutes until someone dies. It's 7:01. Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station. It will happen in the next five minutes when the 7:06 to London Victoria arrives. On a train platform, five strangers unknowingly face a chilling countdown: one of them will die in five minutes. In this gripping tale narrated with a sharp tongue, the five main characters - a child, a mother, a businessman, an old woman, and a gambler - will draw you in with their stories as the clock ticks down. As the train gets closer and closer, we fall in love with the beautiful Sonny who is on the verge of gambling his life away. We pity the furious old Mrs Worth who grew up in a macabre household and so failed at being a mother. We look away from the demonic child Gideon. We judge his mother Emma who must surely be to blame? And we are curiously compelled by the successful and damaged businessman Liam. Five stories. Five minutes until a life ends. In this tense, intriguing drama that explores fate, sacrifice, and the real meaning of life, you will frantically turn the page to see who will survive, and who will be lost ... * * * Praise for Ilona Bannister: 'A furious and tender exploration of family and motherhood' Pandora Sykes 'Richly textured, populated by wonderfully observed, deftly drawn characters ... Smart, brave and often very funny' Sarah Haywood, bestselling author of The Cactus

Five Hb

'Smart, brave and often very funny . . . profoundly moving' Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus This morning Gigi left her husband and children. Now she's watching Real Housewives and drinking wine in a crummy hotel room, trying to work out how she got here. When the Twin Towers collapsed, Gigi Stanislawski fled her office building and escaped lower Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry. Among the crying, ash-covered and shoeless passengers, Gigi, unbelievably, found someone she recognised - the guy with pink socks and a British accent - from the coffee shop across from her office. Together she and Harry Harrison make their way to her parents' house where they watch the television replay the planes crashing for hours, and she waits for the phone call from her younger brother that never comes. And after Harry has shared the worst day of her life, it's time for him to leave. Ten years later, Gigi, now a single mother consumed with bills and unfulfilled ambitions, bumps into Harry again and this time they fall deeply in love. When they move to London it feels like a chance for the happy ending she never dared to imagine. But it also highlights the differences in their class and cultures, which was something they laughed about until it wasn't funny anymore; until the traumatic birth of their baby leaves Gigi raw and desperately missing her best friends and her old life in New York. As Gigi grieves for her brother and rages at the unspoken pain of motherhood, she realises she must somehow find a way back - not to the woman she was but to the woman she wants to be. An unforgettable novel about love - for our partners, our children, our mothers, and ourselves - pushed to its outer limits.

Ilona Bannister

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