Awards

• Short-listed for Galaxy National Book Awards: WH Smith Paperback of the Year 2011
• Shortlisted for Galaxy National Book Awards: WH Smith Paperback of the Year 2011.
• Winner of Galaxy National Book Awards: Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2011
• Winner of Galaxy National Book Awards: Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2011.

Overview

Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it's about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

Full Product Details

9780755379309

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Finished When God was a Rabbit today... it was absolutely brilliant. Loved it so much. Up there with One Day and Skippy Dies in my 2010 faves.' -- Graeme Neill, The Bookseller 'Finished Sarah Winman's When God Was a Rabbit, due out next year. Bloody excellent book. Kind of like a Brit John Irving - slightly kooky characters, slew of minor and major domestic incidents pinned against a backdrop of 70's and 90's history. The sort of thing Brit writers don't do very often - not so well, anyway. Very well recommended.' -- David Barnett, Guardian 'This is a stunning book, absolutely beautiful. The characters are so vivid, so achingly alive that when it is over you continue to consider what might have happened next in their story. There are very few books which come along and make you feel changed from the person who first started to read, but this is definitely one of them.' -- Matthew Watterson, Asda 'I am half way through and truly loving it, this is definitely one of those books I will be insisting everyone reads. It is so beautifully written...can't wait to get home to finish it.' -- Helen Brennan, Amazon 'When God Was a Rabbit is a fantastic novel; sensitive and heartbreaking it shows a tender portrayal of familial love and friendship but also contains an optimism I found genuinely warming. A riveting read.' -- Nicola Budd, Daunts Bookshop, Marylebone

'Gloriously offbeat... Winman's narrative voice is beautifully true, with a child's unsentimental clarity. A superb debut' The Times 'Beguiling... you can't quite get the voice out of your head' Daily Mail 'Captivating... rendered with an appealing frankness, precision and emotional acuity' Observer 'Thronging with incident, wonder and outre language... sharply funny, whimsical and innovative' The Guardian

Derek writes: When God Was A Rabbit is a book that is totally outside my genre. Until the success last year of local boy Brendan Cowell's How It Feels, I didn't think that actors could, or would, write. But Brendan proved me wrong on that and so has Sarah Winman, an actor living and working in London. Whenever I read outside my genre, it's because someone I know has told me I'd love a book. And so it was with this one. I was sharing a drink with Jane Streeter, who owns a great bookstore in the UK, and apropos of nothing she said, "Do you cry, Derek?" I told her that my colleagues at the store say I have a strong feminine side, and therefore it's OK to tear up at times. (Jane didn't know that this was actually a fib, and the things they say are much worse.) So she told me that she'd just finished When God Was A Rabbit and so I picked up a copy and found it enjoyable, funny, moving and just occasionally, tearful. It's narrated by Elly, born in the memorable year of 1968 and we follow her life and that of her family for the next thirty years. Her three decades are punctuated by world events, from the crash of the tourist bus in Austria in the year of Elly's birth, to the collapse of the twin towers twenty three years later. Elly's is a story of a magical childhood, together with the joys and heartbreak that brings; and the trials and tribulations of a young woman. Elly's extended family are a bundle of eccentricities; she shares a special bond with her brother Joe, her parents are both strong and yet fragile and her Aunt Nancy is one of fiction's great lesbians. There are moments that make your heart soar and moments when you'll wipe a tear away. Take Jane's and my word for it, When God Was A Rabbit is a very special book.

'At times laugh-out-loud funny, at others gut-wrenchingly sad, the book is peppered with unique and complex characters who are so original, well-observed and believable that you'll be completely absorbed into their world' -- Easy Living 'A story of siblings, friendship, secrets and love, told with sadness and humour' -- Marie Claire 'A genuinely captivating read' -- Glamour 'In the way that David Nicholls' ONE DAY follows two people through their lives, this traces a family story over four decades in the most unexpected way' -- Red Magazine 'Mesmerising' -- Good Housekeeping

'Gloriously offbeat... Winman's narrative voice is beautifully true, with a child's unsentimental clarity. A superb debut' -- The Times 'Beguiling... you can't quite get the voice out of your head' -- Daily Mail 'Captivating... rendered with an appealing frankness, precision and emotional acuity' -- Observer 'Thronging with incident, wonder and outre language... sharply funny, whimsical and innovative' -- The Guardian

Author Information

Sarah Winman grew up in Essex. She attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to act in theatre, film and television. WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT is her first novel. She lives in London.

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