The Locust Room - Softcover

The finest and most disturbing novel yet from the author of "The Dumb House" and The Mercy Boys. Twenty-five years ago a rapist stalked the streets of Cambridge attacking young women and subjecting them to violent assaults. These events form the background to this extraordinary novel in which circumstances force a young male photographer to examine his relations with women, and with other men. Over one dramatic summer, he becomes involved in a series of sexual intrigues as he journeys towards self-definition. What emerges from an atmosphere of tension and terror is a moving examination of male tenderness, individual autonomy and personal grace.

John Burnside has published two previous novels, " The Dumb House" and "The Mercy Boys," which was joint winner of the Encore Award; a collection of stories, "Burning Elvi"s; and seven books of poetry, most recently "The Asylum Dance."