Once Again Assembled Here

Product Description Stephen Maxwell has just retired from a lifetime spent teaching history at his alma mater. As he writes the official history of Blake's, a minor public school steeped in military tradition, he also reveals how, forty years ago, a secret conflict dating from the Second World War re-enacted itself among staff and pupils, when fascism once more made its presence felt in the school and the city, with violent and nightmarish results. Review The sense of regretfully looking back through fading autumn sunlight on a life not really lived is wonderfully done ( Daily Mail) A compelling narrative . . . O'Brien is an acclaimed poet and his second novel is stylish and controlled ( Sunday Times) O'Brien's literary thriller is elegant, atmospheric and topical, with a dash of wry humour ( Mail on Sunday) A subtle, compassionate, quietly outraged novel ... reminds us how readily the conspiracy of the institution can become a refuge for the unspeakable ( Guardian) Book Description A dramatic evocation of time, place and a community closing ranks to conceal the truth. From the Inside Flap Stephen Maxwell has recently retired from a lifetime spent teaching history at Blake's, a minor public school steeped in military tradition. His long association makes him the ideal choice to write the school's official history. But as he sits down to the task, he can't ignore his own memories and the secret he's kept for nearly fifty years. This is his confession . . . In 1968, Maxwell returns to Blake's, his controversial appointment pushed through by his mentor and Head of the History Department, James Carson. When Carson's body is found in the school grounds in mysterious circumstances, Maxwell finds himself drawn into a secret conflict dating from the Second World War. Old rivalries amongst the veterans on the staff reignite, threatening more than one life, and the innocent Maxwell - now without his only ally - is forced to intervene in a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of the establishment. With the British Patriot Party standing in the local by-election, fascism is about to make its presence felt in the school and the city, with violent and nightmarish results. A gripping mystery exploring the conflict between the Left and the Right, and the unreliability of history, Once Again Assembled Here is a potent evocation of a claustrophobic world on the brink of change. From the Back Cover Praise for Afterlife by Sean O'Brien 'A consistently compelling and satisfying page-turner' Irish Times 'This tale certainly has that devour-it-in-one-sitting element that marks quality popular fiction, yet it is also beautifully written and psychologically convincing . . . an assured, unputdownable debut' Scotsman 'A murder story, a tale of ambition versus talent, chaos versus order . . . An engrossing debut that convinces the reader that some things matter profoundly' Evening Standard 'Fiercely readable . . . and characterized by an acute, unsparing perceptiveness' Metro 'A rich and powerful testament to the value of the well-wrought word' Daily Mail About the Author Sean O'Brien is a poet, critic, playwright, broadcaster, anthologist and editor. He grew up in Hull and now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne; he is Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. The Drowned Book won both the Forward Prize for best collection and the T. S. Eliot Prize. His most recent collection, The Beautiful Librarians, was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize.