Now You See Me

by Lesley Glaister

Since walking out on her life at sixteen, Lamb has lived alone in the gaps between other people's lives. Secretly inhabiting the cellar of an elderly man for whom she cleans, she keeps herself to herself, her life a precarious balancing act - until she meets Doggo, a young criminal on the run. Both strangers to the concept of truth, Doggo and Lamb are drawn together, glimpsing in one another the possibility of finding solace and maybe even love. But with secrets too dark to admit to even themselves, let alone someone else, first they must just learn to trust in each other.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Dark, Crime, Suspense, Literary Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Novelist Lesley Glaister was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. She grew up in Suffolk, moving to Sheffield with her first husband, where she took a degree with the Open University. She was 'discovered' by the novelist Hilary Mantel when she attended a course given by the Arvon Foundation in 1989. Mantel was so impressed by her writing that she recommended her to her own literary agent.

Lesley Glaister's first novel, Honour Thy Father (1990), won both a Somerset Maugham Award and a Betty Trask Award. Her other novels include Trick or Treat (1991), Limestone and Clay (1993), for which she was awarded the Yorkshire Post Book Award (Yorkshire Author of the Year), Partial Eclipse (1994) and The Private Parts of Women (1996), Now You See Me (2001), the story of the unlikely relationship between Lamb, a former patient in a psychiatric ward, and Doggo, a fugitive on the run from the police, As Far as You Can Go (2004), a psychological drama, in which a young couple, Graham and Cassie, travel to a remote part of Australia to take up a caretaking job, only to be drawn into the dark secrets of their mysterious employers. Nina Todd Has Gone (2007) was another complex psychological thriller. Chosen, a dark and suspenseful book about a woman trying to rescue her brother from a cult, was followed by Little Egypt in 2014. This novel - set in the 20's in Northern England and Egypt, won a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. Her next novel, The Squeeze, published 2017, centres on a relationship between a teenage Romanian sex-worker - a victim of trafficking - and a law-abiding, family man from Oslo. It's an unusual and (of course, twisted!) love story. Because not all love is romantic. In 2020 Blasted Things was published. This one is set just after World War 1 and is about the warping after-effects of a global war on society and on individuals. The two main characters, Clementine and Vincent, both damaged in different ways, must find their way in the post-war period. For them this results in a most peculiar kind of relationship and one that can only end in distaster.

Lesley Glaister lives with her husband in Edinburgh with frequent sojourns in Orkney. She has three sons and teaches Creative Writing at the University or St Andrews. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews

[Astra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book.... Oh my god.

I honestly don't think I've ever read a book like this before. It was completely crazy. I can't say I even liked the experience because it felt like I was really there. I don't think I could ever reread it again because of the intensity of emotions it gives me, but I think I will always remember it to be one of the best books I've ever read.

These were the most interesting characters I've ever come across. Everyone just need to stop what they're doing and read this. Honestly, when you read the synopsis of this story it will give you no clue to how messed up it is.

It has a few spelling errors, but nothing that really takes away from the book. Also, it has quite a bit of British slang so make sure you can handle that.

I especially recommend this to anyone who enjoyed My Sweet Audrina. Like My Sweet Audrina this book has a massive twist at the end, but it's even better because this one has multiple massive twists!

Just read it. It will kill you, but you won't regret it.

[Gwendo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a writer this woman is. I have ordered three more of her books. Great plot, characters, atmosphere. great everything. I wish I could write like that. As you can see from my review I've got a long way to go.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bleak story of two runaways who have both done bad things and had bad things happen to them. Despite that Now You See Me is a hopeful book.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest complaint about the book was that the two main characters were unlikeable and I couldn’t identify or even root for either. The reader doesn’t find out what event made Lamb into the person we met at the beginning of the story. From the outset of the story, Lamb makes some questionable choices, even when there was no real reason for her to make the choices she made. Throughout the story, whenever she came to a fork in the road, she always seemed to make the poorer of the choices. When Lamb comes to inhabit Dickens’s home, she didn’t seem to have any thought or feeling about him or his belongings after his death.

I liked Doggo even less. Doggo bullied and intimidated his way into Lamb’s cellar space she called home. I felt real concern for Lamb’s safety in how these two characters were introduced and reintroduced. What was even more concerning, however, was the violence that Doggo displayed toward Lamb on more than one occasion. This was especially cringe-inducing since there was a romantic element between the two characters and I abhor when authors use violence as a plot device between two lovers..

This book just wasn’t a feel good book. It left an unsettling feeling within me. I felt like I had wasted my time reading this book when I could have been reading something much more enjoyable. This book wasn’t terrible. It just wasn’t great. It doesn’t really fit in to any genre I can think of.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic British psychological thriller! Glaister is the closest writer I've found to my all-time fave, Ruth Rendell. I highly recommend this one.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by friends in Orkney I wonder how I missed this author, and will definitely seek out more.
Instantly gripping from the strength and mystery of Lamb's character and drawn into hoping that things aren't going to turn out as I fear, which they both do and don't. Lovely language, immensely convincing depth of character and description of place. So often books are described as 'heart-breaking' - this one really was.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned to out to be a lot better than i expected! Although it really left me hanging at the end..

[Bionic Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novel about two characters both of whom live on the edge of conventional society. Social psychology. Set in Sheffield.

[Katharine Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very moving. Definitely worth reading.

[Reyanciviya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spent a four days to read this book. It's so grabbing and heartbroken.

[Margaret Wichorek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely novel about two troubled young people. Lamb, as she calls herself, makes a meager living as a house cleaner. She lives in the basement of one of her clients, the elderly Mr. Dickens, unknown to him. The young man, Doggo, nicknamed that because of his love for dogs, has escaped from prison and is searching for his mother, who had left him and his brother because of the abuse she suffered from her husband. The two meet and become unwilling friends and then she helps Doggo by taking him in to her little basement room. They have both been terribly scarred by life and finally admit their love for each other. The ending was inevitable, but there is hope for the two of them. I really liked this book and want to read more of Ms. Glaister's books.

[Paulette Illmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not quite what I was expecting, this book took two main characters with their own dark secrets, threw them together for each to piece out what the other was hiding, and tossed in a few side characters with their own sketchy pasts to round it all off. Watching how they interweave with each other while trying to unearth each other's mysteries and come to terms with their own, you reach a point where you don't know who to root for, or how you want the story to end. Should people own up to what they have done and deal with the repercussions or run from it?

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now You See Me by Lesley Glaister is not really a mystery read, more of a gradual unveiling of secrets of two damaged people. Lamb and Doggo meet and bond, but both have secrets that are inevitably going to tear them apart. This was just not for me, but perhaps a younger reader could relate more?

[Second · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent examination of grief, but the plot has a lot of loop holes.

I could easily suspend disbelief, even though there seemed to be a dreamy bubble all around the setup. The well sketched character work and motivations anchored the narrative, and even when the scenarios seem far-fetched, the characters' behavior does not.

[Patriciagoodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable

Didn't enjoy a much as Little Egypt , Blasted Things & As Far As You Can Go. Quite pumped out with 'words'. However, very credible characters & as usual touching & a need to know the ending

[Mr Michael M Speakman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Lamb is a pretty unusual character and I loved the way the story unfolded and we learnt more about her and her life.

[Shree Mandal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rubbish story, depressing. Unlikeable and unsympathetic characters. Had to rush through just to finish and was hoping at least the ending would lift it up but no, was a disappointing read

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible journey, I felt like I was living this story as I was reading it. So wonderfully written.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very bleak and very moving at the same time. I first read it years ago and I guess the story haunted me because I wanted to re-read it. It's not an uplifting book, but it gave me a sense of hope in the end. It's a story about people on the outskirts of society. It's not a very long book and it's easy to read. Much recommended.

[Sona · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent examination of grief, but the plot has a lot of loop holes.

I could easily suspend disbelief, even though there seemed to be a dreamy bubble all around the setup. The well sketched character work and motivations anchored the narrative, and even when the scenarios seem far-fetched, the characters' behavior does not.

[Sara]

02 long list-orange prize

[Cilla ley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy story but would anyone be so naive?

[Kathi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring

Got to page 96 and gave up. Per Amazon 13 more words are required. Ridiculous rule to have a set number.

[BookAmbler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty depressing but despite that, very well written and plausible.