What Doesn't Kill Us: Shortlisted in Scotland’s National Book Awards

'This book is a must read ... a uniquely raw and authentic voice.' Maxine PeakeA killer stalks the streets of Leeds. Every man is a suspect. Every woman is at risk. But in a house on Cleopatra Street, women are fighting back. It’s the eve of the 1980s. PC Liz Seeley joins the squad investigating the murders. With a violent boyfriend at home and male chauvinist pigs at work, she is drawn to a feminist collective led by the militant and uncompromising Rowena. There she meets Charmaine – young, Black, artistic, and fighting discrimination on two fronts. As the list of victims grows and police fail to catch the killer, women across the north are too terrified to go out after dark. To the feminists, the Butcher is a symptom of wider misogyny. Their anger finds an outlet in violence and Liz is torn between loyalty to them and her duty as a police officer. Which way will she jump?Ajay Close combines the tension of a police procedural with the power and passion of the women’s lib movement. By turns emotional, action-packed and darkly funny, What Doesn’t Kill Us reveals just how much the world has changed since the 1970s – and how much it hasn’t. ''Taut, atmospheric and beautifully observed.'' ''Vivid and visceral.'' ''Beautifully written, stark and relevant.'' ''Immensely humane, a book of huge themes and minutely observed characters … with a warm intelligence, compassion and wit.'' ''A gem of a page-turner – fast-paced and gripping … Excellent.'' ''Combines a gripping page-turner … with a wider, excoriating, examination of the misogyny, racism and extremism that continue to blight so many lives today … riveting, thought-provoking, with acutely observed and convincing characters … Close is such a talented writer that she prompts us to consider these issues as a by-product of the story; there are no lectures here, nor any conclusions but our own.'' ''An eye-opening read about womanhood and how some of the struggles of nearly 50 years ago are still present now.'' ''Close transports us to the time and place beautifully, evoking all the sights, sounds, smells, and attitudes of Britain – and that part of Britain in particular … It is the depiction of the social mores of the time that makes this essential reading.'' ''Panoramic … the parallels with failures in today’s criminal justice system are unmissable in this uncompromising novel.'' ''Finely crafted, vividly detailed … reminiscent of [Pat] Barker … brusque, rebarbative, unsentimental … [and] wittily realized.'' ''This book is a must read. Ajay has a uniquely raw and authentic voice. She conjures up atmosphere like no other.''

''This book is a must read ... a uniquely raw and authentic voice.'' Maxine Peake

A killer stalks the streets of Leeds. Every man is a suspect. Every woman is at risk. But in a house on Cleopatra Street, women are fighting back.

It’s the eve of the 1980s. PC Liz Seeley joins the squad investigating the murders. With a violent boyfriend at home and male chauvinist pigs at work, she is drawn to a feminist collective led by the militant and uncompromising Rowena. There she meets Charmaine – young, Black, artistic, and fighting discrimination on two fronts.

As the list of victims grows and police fail to catch the killer, women across the north are too terrified to go out after dark. To the feminists, the Butcher is a symptom of wider misogyny. Their anger finds an outlet in violence and Liz is torn between loyalty to them and her duty as a police officer. Which way will she jump?

Ajay Close combines the tension of a police procedural with the power and passion of the women’s lib movement. By turns emotional, action-packed and darkly funny, What Doesn’t Kill Us reveals just how much the world has changed since the 1970s – and how much it hasn’t.

• | Author: Ajay Close
• | Publisher: Saraband
• | Publication Date: Feb 08, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781913393960
• | ISBN-10: 1913393968