{"title":"Books by Rachelle Atalla","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781529342154","title":"Thirsty Animals","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Original, timely, terrifying' CHRIS WHITAKER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Brilliant, profoundly unsettling' \u003ci\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WATER RUNS OUT?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF WATER.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith supply in the cities drying up, Aida is forced back home to live with her mum at their rural Scottish farm. The border is closed. Tensions are close to breaking point. For now, Aida and her mother have just enough to get by.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut then suspicious strangers arrive asking for help, Aida and her family face a terrible decision. How much water can they afford to share? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAND THEN THE TAPS ARE TURNED OFF.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCan they survive long enough for the rain to come?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCompletely compelling, devastating and thought-provoking, \u003ci\u003eThirsty Animals\u003c\/i\u003e takes us on a captivating journey of survival and self-discovery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003eBeautifully written, vivid and unflinching, it confirms Atalla as a real talent' DOUG JOHNSTONE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A master of slow-burning tension and unease . . . The pace of the story builds to an unputdownable conclusion, and the characters will stay with the reader for a long time' CAILEAN STEED\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685843411317,"sku":"9781529342185","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":43128651055282,"sku":"9781529342154","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529342185_25451b11-dd07-4c09-8033-dd1f48acbda9.jpg?v=1792599052"},{"product_id":"9781529342147","title":"The Pharmacist","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE SCOTTISH FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Rachelle Atalla nails the claustrophobic atmosphere and brings this world to life convincingly in her impressive debut' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e, PAPERBACK OF THE WEEK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This horrendously claustrophobic, utterly absorbing debut. The fiercely controlled narrative beautifully translates the horrendous grip of dismal routines and tiny, stolen pleasures' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'There are shades of George Orwell in this stunning writing debut, but Rachelle Atalla's voice is highly original. And wholly her own' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE HERALD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A compulsive, claustrophobic but wonderfully compassionate read, beautifully written and set within a brilliantly realised world. Rachelle Atalla is a major talent and I can't wait to see where her mind goes next' \u003cb\u003eKIRSTIN INNES, AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eSCABBY QUEEN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Atalla's speculative literary thriller debut draws you in with its mounting sense of tension, disquiet and desperation' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCULTUREFLY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE BUNKER IS DESIGNED TO KEEP THEM ALL SAFE.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the end, very few people made it to the bunker. Now they wait there for the outside world to heal.  Wolfe is one of the lucky ones. She's safe and employed as the bunker's pharmacist, doling out medicine under the watchful eye of their increasingly erratic and paranoid leader.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBUT IS IT THE PLACE OF GREATEST DANGER?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut when the leader starts to ask things of Wolfe, favours she can hardly say no to, it seems her luck is running out. Forming an unlikely alliance with the young Doctor Stirling, her troubled assistant Levitt, and Canavan - a tattooed giant of a man who's purpose in the bunker is a mystery - Wolfe must navigate the powder keg of life underground where one misstep will light the fuse. The walls that keep her safe also have her trapped.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow much more is Wolfe willing to give to stay alive?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeautifully written and utterly gripping, \u003ci\u003eThe Pharmacist\u003c\/i\u003e will be a guaranteed conversation starter when it is published.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An unflinching portrayal of what we might all be capable of, Atalla's stunning debut is essential reading for our times' \u003cb\u003eHELEN SEDGWICK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Though set in a speculative future, \u003ci\u003eThe Pharmacist\u003c\/i\u003e is very much a book for our own broken times. Its story grips and never lets go, unflinching in its portrayal of abused power, moral confusion and betrayal, but also fully alive to the redemptive possibilities of compassion, resistance and love. This is a powerful and memorable debut from an exciting new voice' \u003cb\u003eWAYNE PRICE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A triumph of a book. Character-led but taut and purposeful with action' \u003cb\u003eLIAM MURRAY BELL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128651088050,"sku":"9781529342147","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529342147_19103e30-f3fc-46d0-b75a-c173078d6b73.jpg?v=1786022445"},{"product_id":"9781399727310","title":"The Salt Flats","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A MAJOR TALENT' KISRTIN INNES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMartha and Finn's marriage is hanging by a thread. Martha, crippled by paralyzing climate anxiety, finds herself at odds with Finn, who steadfastly refuses to confront the demons of his past.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a desperate attempt to repair their relationship, they join a group of privileged tourists on a pilgrimage to The Salt Centre, a mysterious retreat nestled deep within the Bolivian salt flats.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnited by a shared quest for spiritual enlightenment, the group embark on a journey guided by an elusive shaman. As a series of salt ceremonies unfold, hallucinogenic episodes force each of them to confront their own versions of reality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the final ceremony descends into a nightmare, Martha and Finn are met with an ultimatum. 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