The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line

'Subtle, Wry and Intimate' - The Times

Sybil was happy with her perfectly average life. She had a decent job, working for the Royal Institute of Prehistorical Studies, and a happy relationship with her boyfriend, Simon. That is, until Helen Hansen, Sybil’s undergraduate nemesis, re-enters her world, and now life as she knows it is unfurling in front of her eyes.

After an unfortunate ice-rink incident that led to a short stay in hospital, Simon and Helen go home together, leaving Sybil not only concussed but loveless. To add insult to injury, Helen has now been appointed Head of Trustees at work, making her a permanent fixture in Sybil’s daily life. Helen reflects everything Sybil isn’t, and she becomes fixated on exposing Helen as a fraud, no matter the cost.

Witty, offbeat and subtle, Ruth Thomas captures our hearts in The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line with Sybil’s sarcastic narration, wry observations and real emotion. As featured on BBC Radio 4 as book of the week, The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line tells the story of the life of a twenty-something; messy, honest, at some points lonely, but altogether full of heart.

Ruth Thomas is the author of three short story collections and two novels, as well as many short stories anthologised and broadcast on the BBC. Her writing has won and been shortlisted for various prizes, including the John Llewellyn Rhys Award, the Saltire First Book Award, the VS Pritchett Prize and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. She lives in Edinburgh and is currently an Advisory Fellow for the Royal Literary Fund. The Snow and the Works on the Northern Lineis her third novel.

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