Compared by Time Out magazine to a contemporary Catcher in the Rye, Alexander Stuart’s The War Zone was chosen as Best Novel of the Year for Britain’s prestigious Whitbread Prize when it was first published, but was instantly stripped of the award amid controversy among the judges, due to the novel’s stark and uncompromising portrayal of incest and adolescent fury, when its teenage narrator, Tom, stumbles upon a complex and intensely abusive relationship between his older sister, Jessie, and their father.
The novel has been published in eight languages and was turned into a searingly emotional film directed by Oscar-nominated actor/director, Tim Roth, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win international critical acclaim and many awards.
This newly revised 20th Anniversary Edition includes an Afterword by Tim Roth, explaining what drew him to this controversial and painful subject matter for his directorial debut, together with both the original British and American opening chapters of the book, and Alexander Stuart’s diary of the making of the film.
Alexander Stuart (aka Alexander Chow-Stuart) is a Los Angeles-based, British-born novelist and screenwriter, whose novels, non-fiction and children’s books have been translated into eight languages and published in the US, Britain, Europe and throughout the world.
His most controversial novel, The War Zone, about a family torn apart by incest, was turned into a searingly emotional film by Oscar-nominated actor/director Tim Roth. At the time of the book's initial publication, it was stripped of the Whitbread Best Novel Award amid controversy among the panel of three judges.
As a screenwriter, Stuart has worked with actors ranging from Angelina Jolie to Jodie Foster, and with directors including Tim Roth, Danny Boyle and Jonathan Glazer.
Stuart lives in California with his wife, Charong Chow, their two young children and a growing menagerie of pets.
www.alexanderstuart.com
"But wait a minute. None of this is going to mean anything unless I can make you understand how weird we all felt that afternoon, how watching a fresh little bastard come sliming into the world from the collective pool of your family blood makes you think about things you might otherwise not choose to consider.
We felt close, all right, but it was a closeness that cut through the bullshit of family life and suspended the rules. I'm talking about honesty. And, you know, when you get down to it, honesty - life without the lies, the protective film of accepted behavior - is bloody dangerous."