The Sweet-Shop Owner

Last updated

The Sweet-Shop Owner
TheSweetShopOwner.jpg
First edition
Author Graham Swift
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Allen Lane
Publication date
August 1980
Media typePrint
Pages221
ISBN 0-7139-1247-2

The Sweet-Shop Owner is the debut novel of English author Graham Swift. It was published in 1980 to largely favourable reviews. [1]

Contents

Plot introduction

The book is set on a sunny Friday in June 1974 and describes the routine of what turns out to be the last day in the life of Willy Chapman, the eponymous owner of a South London sweet shop. [2] [3] Central to the book is his relationship with his beautiful and yet distant wife Irene who bore him a daughter on the unspoken agreement that no love would be expressed between them. [4] Interspersed with flashbacks to his earlier life, Willy attempts to justify himself to his estranged unforgiving daughter Dorry via an internal monologue.

Reception

Publication history

Related Research Articles

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> 1964 childrens novel by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.

<i>The Poisoned Chocolates Case</i> 1929 novel by Anthony Berkeley

The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) is a detective novel by Anthony Berkeley set in 1920s London in which a group of armchair detectives, who have founded the "Crimes Circle", formulate theories on a recent murder case Scotland Yard has been unable to solve. Each of the six members, including their president, Berkeley's amateur sleuth Roger Sheringham, arrives at an altogether different solution as to the motive and the identity of the perpetrator, and also applies different methods of detection. Completely devoid of brutality but containing a lot of subtle, tongue-in-cheek humour instead, The Poisoned Chocolates Case is one of the classic whodunnits of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. As at least six plausible explanations of what really happened are put forward one after the other, the reader—just like the members of the Crimes Circle themselves—is kept guessing right up to the final pages of the book.

<i>The Red House Mystery</i> 1922 novel by A. A. Milne

The Red House Mystery is a whodunnit by A. A. Milne, published in 1922. It was Milne's only mystery novel.

<i>Zodiac</i> (novel) 1988 novel by Neal Stephenson

Zodiac: An Eco-Thriller (1988) is a novel by American writer Neal Stephenson. His second novel, it tells the story of an environmentalist, Sangamon Taylor, uncovering a conspiracy involving industrialist polluters in Boston Harbor. The "Zodiac" of the title refers to the brand of inflatable motor boats the hero uses to get around the city efficiently. His opponents attempt to frame him as an ecoterrorist.

<i>Hideous Kinky</i> 1992 book by Esther Freud

Hideous Kinky is an autobiographical novel by Esther Freud, daughter of British painter Lucian Freud and Bernardine Coverley and great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud. It depicts the author's unconventional childhood in Morocco with her mother and her elder sister, Bea. In 1998, a film adaptation was released.

<i>As I Lay Dying</i> Novel by William Faulkner

As I Lay Dying is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of the 20th century. The title is derived from William Marris's 1925 translation of Homer's Odyssey, referring to the similar themes of both works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Swift</span> English writer (born 1949)

Graham Colin Swift FRSL is an English writer. Born in London, England, he was educated at Dulwich College, Queens' College, Cambridge, and later the University of York.

<i>The Old Curiosity Shop</i> 1840–1841 novel by Charles Dickens

The Old Curiosity Shop is one of two novels which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers reputedly stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final instalment arrived in 1841.

<i>The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me</i> 1985 book by Roald Dahl

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is a 1985 children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. The plot follows a young boy named Billy who meets a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey, who work as window cleaners.

<i>Absolute Beginners</i> (novel) 1958 novel by Colin MacInnes

Absolute Beginners is a novel by Colin MacInnes, written and set in 1958 London, England. It was published in 1959. The novel is the second of MacInnes' London Trilogy, coming after City of Spades (1958) and before Mr. Love and Justice (1960). These novels are each self-contained, with no shared characters.

<i>Dissolution</i> (Sansom novel) 2003 novel by C. J. Sansom

Dissolution (2003) is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's first published novel, and the first in the Matthew Shardlake Series. It was dramatised by BBC Radio 4 in 2012.

<i>Dark Fire</i> (Sansom novel) 2004 novel by C. J. Sansom

Dark Fire is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's second novel, released in 2004, and also the second in the Matthew Shardlake Series. Set in the 16th century during the reign of Tudor King Henry VIII, it follows hunchbacked lawyer Shardlake's search to recover the long-lost formula for Greek fire.

<i>Sweet William</i> (novel)

Sweet William is a 1975 novel written by Beryl Bainbridge, it was made into a 1980 film of the same name for which Bainbridge wrote the screenplay.

<i>Death of a Gossip</i> 1985 novel by Marion Chesney

Death of a Gossip is a mystery novel by M. C. Beaton, first published in 1985. It is set in the fictional town of Lochdubh, Scotland and is the first novel of a series featuring the local constable Hamish Macbeth.

<i>Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn</i> 1989 novel by Paul Watkins

Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn is the second novel by American author Paul Watkins. It was published in 1989 by Houghton Mifflin and shared the Encore Award the following year.

<i>A Far Cry from Kensington</i> 1988 novel by Muriel Spark

A Far Cry from Kensington is a novel by British author Muriel Spark, published in 1988.

<i>A Change of Climate</i> 1994 book by Hilary Mantel

A Change of Climate is a novel by English author Hilary Mantel, first published in 1994 by Viking Books. At the time The Observer described it as the best book she had written. It was published in the United States by Henry Holt in 1997 and was recognised by the New York Times Book Review as one of the notable books of that year. The novel has also been identified as one of the best of the 1990s.

<i>The Mosquito Coast</i> (novel) 1981 novel by Paul Theroux

The Mosquito Coast is a novel by author Paul Theroux. Published in 1981, it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was the Yorkshire Post Novel of the Year.

<i>The Lemon Table</i>

The Lemon Table is the second collection of short stories written by Julian Barnes, and has the general theme of old age. It was first published in 2004 by Jonathan Cape.

<i>Territorial Rights</i> Novel

Territorial Rights is a novel by the Scottish author Muriel Spark published in 1979.

References

  1. 1 2 O'Mahony, John (1 March 2003). "Triumph of the common man". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  2. "The Sweet-Shop Owner by Graham Swift: 9780679739807 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  3. "The Sweet-Shop Owner | novel by Swift | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. "The Sweet Shop Owner: An Introduction". www.postcolonialweb.org. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  5. Gorra, Michael (23 July 1985). "WHEN LIFE CLOSES IN". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  6. "The Sweet Shop Owner by Graham Swift". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.