A Ladder to the Sky: From the bestselling author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies

by John Boyne

'A deliciously dark tale of ambition' Observer
'Gripping ... chilling and darkly comic tale of unrelenting ambition' Daily Express

You've heard the old proverb about ambition, that it's like setting a ladder to the sky. It can lead to a long and painful fall.

If you look hard enough, you will find stories pretty much anywhere. They don't even have to be your own. Or so would-be-novelist Maurice Swift decides early on in his career.

A chance encounter in a Berlin hotel with celebrated author Erich Ackerman gives Maurice an opportunity. For Erich is lonely, and he has a story to tell; whether or not he should is another matter.

Once Maurice has made his name, he finds himself in need of a fresh idea. He doesn't care where he finds it, as long as it helps him rise to the top. Stories will make him famous, but they will also make him beg, borrow and steal. They may even make him do worse.

This is a novel about ambition.


What readers are saying:
***** 'A breath-taking story of dangerous infatuation and sociopathic ambition'
***** 'A beautifully written, genre defying novel that I couldn't help gobbling up in a couple of days.'
***** 'Dark comic humour ... fascinating and gripping storytelling.'

• ISBN10: 1473526310
• ISBN13: 9781473526310
• Publish Date: 9 August 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
• Imprint: Transworld Digital
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

“It’s not as if anyone could just take someone else’s story and write it themselves, is it? These things need to form in a writer’s mind over time. After all, a novel is about a lot more than just plot, right?”

“Right. So, what you’re saying is that if someone did do that, they’d have to be… what? Actually, what are you saying?”

“Well, they’d have to be really talented. But also a complete psychopath.”
 

An utterly brilliant and fascinating book about a mediocre but cunning and manipulative writer who would do whatever it takes to achieve literary fame, even if that means stealing other people’s stories or lives. WHAT 👏 A 👏 BOOK 👏. I particularly loved its examination of literary ownership. Who owns a story? If we write a narrative based on a conversation we overheard, or from a personal story someone shared with us, how much do we own of that narrative? Where do we draw the line between inspiration and theft? I’ve never read anything as literary as this and yet works so well as a psychological thriller too. I am truly blown away. Easily my favorite book so far this year 👏

[rohshey]

There's a thin line between a finely crafted piece of literary fiction and a cheap throw-away psychological thriller. And throughout the entire book, my thoughts swayed on both sides but I'd be lying if I say it wasn't goddamn enjoyable!

Just as Patricia Highsmith made us complicit in the actions of the murderously sociopathic Tom Ripley, one of Boyne's achievements here is to make his own psychopath so outrageously intriguing that we're as fascinated as we're appalled by the terrible things he does.