The Book of Strange New Things

'I am with you always, even unto the end of the world . . .' Peter Leigh is a missionary called to go on the journey of a lifetime. Leaving behind his beloved wife, Bea, he boards a flight for a remote and unfamiliar land, a place where the locals are hungry for the teachings of the Bible - his 'book of strange new things'. It is a quest that will challenge Peter's beliefs, his understanding of the limits of the human body and, most of all, his love for Bea.The Book of Strange New Things is a wildly original tale of adventure, faith and the ties that might hold two people together when they are worlds apart. This momentous novel, Faber's first since The Crimson Petal and the White, sees him at his expectation-defying best. 'Michel Faber's second masterpiece, quite different to The Crimson Petal and The White but every bit as luminescent and memorable. It is a portrait of a living, breathing relationship, frayed by distance. It is an enquiry into the mountains faith can move and the mountains faith can't move. It is maniacally gripping'  David Mitchell'As gripping as any thriller . . . A work of originality and insight'   Andrew Billen, The Times'There are some novels that come along, when writing a review seems superfluous and all one wants to do is to grab someone by the shoulders and say: "Look, just read the damn thing!". This is one of them . . . In this thoughtful, deeply moving page-turner, Faber excels himself.'  Scotsman'Magnificently bold and addictive . . . a book quite unlike any other I've read.'  Edmund Gordon, Sunday Times'I can't remember being so continually and unfailingly surprised by any book for a long time. I found it completely compelling and believable, and admired it enormously.'  Phillip Pullman'Highly imaginative, unusual and thought-provoking.'  Katherine Whitbourn, Daily Mail'Michel Faber is a truly gifted writer, an addictive storyteller with an nuanced command of language. One of the best things I have read this year.'  Literary Review'The very notion of what it means to be human is grappled with in unusually direct terms . . . richly suggestive.'  Hannah McGill, Independent'Spellbinding, heartbreaking and mind-bending . . . Faber's strongest, most plangent and most intellectually gleeful novel. It is affecting as much as it is challenging. It not only made me want to read his next book, but re-read his backlist immediately.'  Scottish Review of Books'At the heart of The Book of Strange New Things is one question: Whom - or what - do you love, and what are you willing to do for that love (or not willing)? The result is a novel of marvel and wonderment with a narrative engine like a locomotive.'  Yann Martel'This a man who could give Conrad a run at writing the perfect sentence.'  Guardian'You are unlikely to regret a single hour/day/month spent in Faber's diverting, exuberant and intelligent company.'  Financial Times