Lisa O'Donnell

Trying to keep the death of their parents a secret, Marnie and her little sister Nelly are on their own until several residents in Glasgow's Hazelhurst housing estate suspect that something isn't right and as one lie leads to another, dark secrets emerge, threatening to tear the girls apart. 40,000 first printing.

A Novel

The Death of Bees

A riveting, brilliantly written debut novel, The Death of Bees is a coming-of-age story in which two young sisters attempt to hold the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents Marnie and Nelly, left on their own in Glasgow's Hazlehurst housing estate, attempt to avoid suspicion until Marnie can become a legal guardian for her younger sister. Written with fierce sympathy and beautiful precision, and told in alternating voices, The Death of Bees is an enchanting, grimly comic tale of lost souls who, unable to answer for themselves, can answer only for each other.

In this tense and brilliant tale from the national bestselling author of The Death of Bees, a young boy on a small Scottish island, where everyone knows everything about everyone else, discovers that a secret can be a dangerous thing. Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: hacky sack and keeping secrets. His family thinks he's too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors—it's the only way to find out anything. And Michael's heard a secret, one that may explain the bruises on his mother's face. When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret he doesn't know about. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to return to normal, Michael sets out to piece together the truth. But he also has to prepare for the upcoming talent show, keep an eye out for Dirty Alice—his archnemesis from down the street—and avoid eating Granny's watery stew. Closed Doors is the startling new novel from Lisa O'Donnell, the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees. It is a vivid evocation of the fears and freedoms of childhood and a powerful tale of love, of the loss of innocence, and of the importance of family in difficult times.

Closed Doors

»Unglaublich spannend. Da stockt einem der Atem.« CHRISTINE WESTERMANN Heiligabend in Glasgow: Die fünfzehnjährige Marnie und ihre kleine Schwester Nelly haben gerade ihre toten Eltern im Garten vergraben. Niemand sonst weiß, dass sie da liegen und wie sie dahin gekommen sind. Und die Geschwister werden es niemandem sagen. Irgendwie müssen sie jetzt allein über die Runden kommen, doch allzu viel Geld verdient Marnie als Gelegenheits-Dealerin nicht. So ist es ihnen ganz recht, als ihr alter Nachbar Lennie, stadtbekannter (vermeintlicher) Perversling, sich plötzlich für sie interessiert. Lennie merkt bald, dass die Mädchen seine Hilfe brauchen. Er nimmt sich ihrer an und gibt ihnen so etwas wie ein Zuhause. Als die Leute jedoch beginnen, Fragen zu stellen, zeigen sich erste Risse in Marnies und Nellys Lügengebäude, und es kommen erschütternde Details aus ihrem Familienleben zum Vorschein, was ihre Lage nur noch komplizierter macht. Mit schnörkelloser Präzision, großem Einfühlungsvermögen und finsterem Humor erzählt Lisa O’Donnell die verstörend komische Geschichte dreier verlorener Seelen, die für sich selbst keine Verantwortung tragen können, aber füreinander bedingungslos einstehen. Enthält eine Leseprobe aus Lisa O'Donnells neuem Roman DIE GEHEIMNISSE DER WELT.

Roman

Bienensterben

Death of Bees

11-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family think he's too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it's the only way to find out anything. And Michael's heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother's face. When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret he doesn't know about. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to return to normal, Michael sets out to piece together the truth.

A young boy on a small Scottish island where everyone knows everything about everyone else, will discover that a secret is a dangerous thing in this tense and brilliant tale of from Lisa O'Donnell, the bestselling author of The Death of Bees, winner of the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize. Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family thinks he's too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it's the only way to find out anything. And Michael's heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother's face. When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret waiting to be discovered. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to be normal again, Michael sets out to piece together the truth. But he also has to prepare for the upcoming talent show, keep an eye out for Dirty Alice, his arch-nemesis, and avoid eating Granny's watery stew. Closed Doors is a vivid evocation of the fears and freedoms of childhood and a powerful tale of love, the loss of innocence, and the importance of family in difficult times.

Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family think he's too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it's the only way to find out anything. And Michael's heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother's face.

Die Geheimnisse der Welt

A powerful tale of love, the loss of innocence and the importance of family in difficult times by the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees, winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize 2013. ‘There are no strangers in Rothesay, Michael. Everyone knows who you are and always will. It’s a blessing but it’s also a curse.’ Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family think he’s too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it’s the only way to find out anything. And Michael’s heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother’s face. When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret he doesn’t know about. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to return to normal, Michael sets out to piece together the truth. But he also has to prepare for the upcoming talent show, keep an eye out for Dirty Alice, his arch-nemesis from down the street, and avoid eating Granny’s watery stew. Closed Doors is the startling new novel from the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees. It is a vivid evocation of the fears and freedoms of childhood in the 1980s and a powerful tale of love, the loss of innocence and the importance of family in difficult times.

Lisa O'Donnell

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