Alison Moore (writer)

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Alison Moore
Born1971
Manchester
OccupationAuthor

Alison Moore (born 1971) is an English writer. Born in Manchester, she lives in Leicestershire. She is an honorary lecturer in the School of English at the University of Nottingham. [1]

Contents

Work

Moore's 2012 debut novel, The Lighthouse , was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize. [2] In reaction to the announcement, Moore commented: "Reaching the shortlist is ridiculously exciting. I keep feeling like I ought to stop daydreaming and get on with something, but it's all real." [3] Chair of the Booker jury, Sir Peter Stothard, described the jury's decision in the following words: "The judges admired The Lighthouse's bleak inner landscape, a temperature control set low and an impressively assured control." [4] The Lighthouse went on to win the 2013 McKitterick Prize. [5]

Before The Lighthouse, Moore had written and published several short stories, including 'Static', shortlisted for the inaugural Manchester Fiction Prize, [6] and 'When the Door Closed, It Was Dark', published as a chapbook by Nightjar Press [7] and included in Best British Short Stories 2011. [8] Much of this work is collected in The Pre-War House and Other Stories, [9] whose title story won first prize in the novella category of the New Writer Prose and Poetry Prizes 2009. [10]

Her second novel, He Wants, was published in 2014. Both The Lighthouse and He Wants were Observer Books of the Year. [11] [12] Her third novel, Death and the Seaside was published in 2016. In 2018, Moore published her fourth novel, Missing, [13] and a chapter book for children, Sunny and the Ghosts, which became the first in a trilogy, illustrated by Ross Collins. [14] A fifth novel The Retreat was published in 2021, [15] followed in 2022 by a second collection, Eastmouth and Other Stories. [16]

Reviews

The Lighthouse

"A haunting and accomplished novel." (Katy Guest, The Independent on Sunday) [17]

He Wants

"The best novels are the ones that leave you with a sense of yearning, and in He Wants, Alison Moore proves her mastery of the medium." (Lynsey May, The List) [18]

Death and the Seaside

"Moore masterfully dials up the tension throughout, leading to an unexpected finale that feels both inevitable and deliciously satisfying." (Colette Maitland, The New Quarterly) [19]

Missing

"There are books which, when you finish reading them, force you to stop everything for a moment to acknowledge their excellence, to mark a personal encounter with something special. Missing is one of those books" (Nina Allan, The Spider's House) [20]

Sunny and the Ghosts

"There is humour and kindness alongside the mischief and mystery. A delightful and satisfying read for any age." (Jackie Law, Never Imitate) [21]

The Retreat

"The Retreat is a small masterpiece of disconnection." (Kate McLoughlin, The Times Literary Supplement) [22]

References

  1. ↑ "Alison Moore - author of the Man Booker shortlisted 'The Lighthouse'". www.alison-moore.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Alison Moore". Man Booker Prize. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Alison Moore's The Lighthouse shortlisted for 2012 Man Booker Prize". Salt Publishing. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "First-time Leicestershire novelist Alison Moore is shortlisted for Booker". This is Leicestershire. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "McKitterick Prize". www.societyofauthors.org. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Manchester Metropolitan University. "Manchester Writing Competition 2009, Manchester Metropolitan University". Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "When the Door Closed, It Was Dark". Nightjar Press. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Salt. "Best British Short Stories 2011". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Short stories" . Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "The Pre-War House And Other Stories". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Observer Books of the Year 2012" . Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Observer Books of the Year 2014" . Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Salt. "Missing". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  14. ↑ Salt. "Search: 3 results found for "sunny and the ghosts"". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "The Retreat, Alison Moore". Salt. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  16. ↑ "Alison Moore - Eastmouth and Other Stories". www.alison-moore.com. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  17. ↑ "The Guest List: An alternative to the Booker longlist" . The Independent. 29 July 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "Alison Moore - He Wants". The List. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "What is Colette Maitland Reading? - The New Quarterly Digital Edition". The New Quarterly. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  20. ↑ "Missing by Alison Moore – The Spider's House" . Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Law, Jackie (20 November 2018). "Book Review: Sunny and the Ghosts". neverimitate. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  22. ↑ "A small masterpiece of unsettling disconnection". TLS. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
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