Jim Giraffeabout a ghost giraffe” My second adult novel. I drew the giraffe on my computer. Published in Canada by Anchor. Published in Russian translation by Russian pubilsher AST. To be translated into Italian and published by Newton & Compton Editori. It must be his Italian good looks. |
“The novel spins off on a multi-sided suburban orbit, an obscene, crazed and feveredly funny satire of the stunted televisual synapse. It is energetic and insane. Its heights of surreality are dazzling. There is a ‘tremendous television-shaped sadness’ all through it. It bangs itself off all four walls, so to speak, to be funny, and its hilarity is a kind of keening. It is a very scary ghost story indeed.”
Ali Smith, The Guardian
(I’m not sure what ‘keening’ is, but I think it has something to do with boats, or despair.) “Jim Giraffe is a work from the uppermost echelon of imagination, a twisting, supercharged affront to the mundane; King masterfully juggles all we hold dear before dousing it in napalm and setting it alight in this liberating, free-spirited book – read it and feel the wind through your hair (then fit a padlock to your wardrobe!).” DBC Pierre, author of Vernon God Little
“King’s 2004 comic masterpiece about a ghost giraffe with a filthy mouth, a book about innocence and experience, love, loss and bedroom furniture.” Katy Guest, The Independent
“It’s extremely hard to analyse or describe the magic of this extraordinary work. Jim Giraffe is a brilliant, funny, unforgettable book, one that explodes taboos – on race and disability as well as sex – in a way that’s fresh and fearless. Daren King may be mad or in the grip of some major hallucinogens. Or perhaps he’s just extremely talented.” Christina Patterson, The Independent
“King is an excellent writer. His language moves with great suppleness and easy eloquence. Jim Giraffe may be the pinnacle of cynical, ironic comedy.” The Telegraph
“King’s beautifully inflected, knowingly naïve novel is a superbly original work. By turns it is filthy, silly, unbelievable, all-too-real, enchanting and painful. Jim Giraffe is the kind of book that if you get it, you get it, and if you don’t, you’re missing out.” Scotland On Sunday
“Daren King is a genius and Jim Giraffe is a masterpiece.” Matt Thorne
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From left to right:
~Jonathan Cape 2004 UK paperback ~Vintage 2005 UK paperback ~Anchor 2005 Canada paperback ~AST 2006 Russia hardback |