Blaze: the gripping and surprising coming-of-age story from the Booker-shortlisted author of Room

The first speculative novel from Booker Prize-shortlisted, bestselling author Emma Donoghue, Blaze is a magnificent work of imagination and empathy.

'Blaze haunts me in the best way . . . a beautiful example of the literature we need now' – Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness

2040. A young pigeon named Blaze lives with her large, tight-knit flock on the fifth floor of an abandoned tower in a semi-flooded New York City. Life is full of danger but also joy.

When Blaze saves the life of a stranger and welcomes him into her flock, he brings with him a story: the forgotten history of the-time-before, of what life used to be like, and of what might still be possible.

As Blaze comes of age, she must learn to navigate the thrills and terrors of survival, love, parenthood. But the stranger’s story has changed everything, and soon Blaze finds herself forced to choose between adhering to the beliefs of her kind and forging a new path.

Praise for Emma Donoghue:

‘Time and again, Emma Donoghue writes books that are unlike anything I have ever seen before’ Ann Patchett
‘Emma Donoghue is a genius of compassion . . . Her stories bind us together’ – Colum McCann, author of Twist
‘Donoghue is a superb stylist – her prose is stirring and tender’ – The Sunday Times
‘She can do everything . . . And she’s unable to write a line you don’t believe’ – Joseph O’Connor, author of My Father's House
‘Emma Donoghue’s writing is superb alchemy’ – Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife
‘A writer of great vitality and generosity’ – The New Yorker