There But For The

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There But For The
ThereButForThe.jpg
First edition
Author Ali Smith
Cover artist Rachel Whiteread
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Hamish Hamilton (UK)
Pantheon (US)
Publication date
June 2011 (UK)
Sep 2011 (US)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
Pages357
ISBN 978-0375424090

There But For The is a 2011 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith, first published in the UK by Hamish Hamilton and in the US by Pantheon, [1] and set in 2009 and 2010 in Greenwich, London. It was cited by both The Guardian book review and the Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year. [2] [3] and was also longlisted for the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. [4]

Contents

Plot introduction

The story revolves around Miles Garth, an 'ethical consultant' who attends an ‘annual alternative dinner party’ at an upper-middle class household in Greenwich. After the main course Miles goes upstairs, locks himself in the spare bedroom and refuses to leave indefinitely. Eventually becoming a minor celebrity when crowds gather outside the window, Miles highlights the effects of a consumerist and celebrity-based culture as various attempts are made to capitalise on his presence within the room. The name 'Miles' is replaced by 'Milo' as Garth is henceforth positioned as some form of new spiritual leader for the 'disenfranchised'.

The book is divided into four main narrative parts:

Reception

Upon release, There But For The was generally well-received among the British press. On The Omnivore, in an aggregation of British critic reviews, the book received a score of 3.5 out of 5. [5] Culture Critic gave it an aggregated critic score of 94 percent based on British press reviews. [6]

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References

  1. "There but for the by Ali Smith".
  2. "Books of the year 2011". the Guardian. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  3. "Best Books 2011 | Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly".
  4. "Orange Prize 2012 longlist announced". 10 June 2021.
  5. "There But For The". The Omnivore. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  6. "Ali Smith - There but for the". Culture Critic. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2024.

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