Comet: A novel

by Jane White

science fiction story

221 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Jane White (1934–1985) was an English novelist whose fiction explored the darker and more unsettling aspects of human nature.

Born in Cambridge in 1934, White grew up in Norfolk and was educated first at home and later at a convent boarding school. She studied English at Girton College, Cambridge, on a state scholarship, graduating with an upper second-class degree. Before becoming a novelist, she worked in a public library, as a waitress and hospital assistant, and for five years as a News Clerk at the BBC World Service. In 1960, her short story Boy with a Dog was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme.

White published her first novel, Quarry, in 1967. The book, about three grammar-school boys who abduct a younger boy and keep him captive in a cave, was widely praised for its disturbing psychological intensity and distinctive characters. Her subsequent novels included Proxy and Beatrice, Falling, and her work was published in both Britain and the United States.

Reviews

[John Pilbeam]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it actually is a bit of a gem.

[Kal K]

A dark and sad story about surviving in a dystopian world.
I was impressed with how quickly the author manages to develop each chatacter and despite me disliking pretty much everybody, as a reader a quickly came to terms with that and understood how each character came to be this way.
The book really shows how people behave in a desperate situation.