Orange Laughter

‘Powerful.’ DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘[Ross] is a master of detail.’ TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
‘A literary rollercoaster.’ PEOPLE
‘Chillingly real . . . unforgettable.’ BOOKLIST

From a singular voice: a gripping and deeply moving story of grief and memory.

1990s New York: Tony Pellar – a man of former style and fading beauty – now lives in the subway tunnels. From this place of darkness, Tony fights for his sanity as his mind overflows with memories of Agatha, a woman he calls the Soul Snatcher.

Following the lost thread of his life story back to 1960s North Carolina, Ross unravels a tangle of hurt and lies with two interconnected tales: that of Mikey, his wealthy childhood best friend, and of Agatha – a complex woman with a heart full of painful secrets.

Orange Laughter is a story of old prejudice and shattered innocence, and a vivid reminder of the importance of storytelling as a way to heal individual and collective memory.

Readers loved Orange Laughter:
‘Masterful! The ride is intriguing with twists and turns and a huge dose of the unexpected. This novel will enchant, surprise and mystify; but ultimately, it will satisfy.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A page-turner! I could not put it down, I read it all in one sitting. The author’s touch is as beautiful as it is sure. A masterpiece of storytelling. Her characters live. Her prose sings. She is a writer of visions.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author Biography

Leone Ross was born in England and grew up in Jamaica. She is the author of three novels: All the Blood Is Red, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction; Orange Laughter, which a BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour Watershed Fiction favourite; and This One Sky Day, longlisted for the Ondaatje Prize. Her short fiction has been widely anthologised and her first short-story collection, Come Let Us Sing Anyway was nominated for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Saboteur Awards and the OCM BOCAS Prize.