A Week in December

"The plot wonderfully connects all these characters, taking them on a journey that leaves the listener with no idea whether they are to be dealt a tragic or happy hand until the very end." (Kati Nicholl Daily Express)

"There are moments ... that truly hit home...this book is an old-fashioned call to retrace our path, return to a more connected existence." (Independent on sunday)

"Skilfully abridged by Kati Nicholl, it is given enriched characterisation by the narrator Dan Stevens" (The Times)

A Week in December is Sebastian Faulks's first wholly contemporary novel. Set in London, it's a brilliant social satire, structured like a thriller, that takes place over the course of a single week at the end of 2007. It brings together an intriguing cast of characters, each apparently in his or her own world but - as gradually becomes clear - ultimately intricately related. The anti-hero, John Veals, is a shadily successful and boundlessly ambitious Dickensian figure who is trading billions and other characters include a teenage Muslim fanatic, a Polish footballer, a female tube driver, a literary critic, a care worker and a chutney tycoon. As the story builds to its climax, Faulks pulls together powerful ideas about family, money, religion, and the way we live now.