There But For The

There But For The

First edition
Author	Ali Smith
Cover artist	Rachel Whiteread
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Publisher	Hamish Hamilton (UK) Pantheon (US)
Publication date	June 2011 (UK) Sep 2011 (US)
Media type	Print
Pages	357
ISBN	978-0375424090

There But For The is a 2011 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith, first published in the UK by Hamish Hamilton and in the US by Pantheon,^[1] and set in 2009 and 2010 in Greenwich, London. It was cited by both The Guardian book review and the Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year.^[2][3] and was also longlisted for the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction.^[4]

Plot introduction

The story revolves around Miles Garth, who at a dinner party goes upstairs, locks himself in the spare bedroom and refuses to leave indefinitely. He goes on to become a minor celebrity with crowds gathering outside to try and catch a glimpse of him at the window; and merchandize being produced with his name.

The book is divided into four main narrative parts:

• There : Tells of Anna Hardie, a social worker who knew Miles some thirty years previously, but the hosts of the party find her email address on Garth's phone and they contact her in the hope that she can persuade Miles to leave. Anna recalls her contact with Miles when in 1980 as a 17-year-old she and Miles travelled together on a coach tour of Europe as winners in a short-story competition.
• But : In which Mark, a gay photo-researcher who invited Miles to the party mourns an old lover and hears his dead mother speaking to him in rhymes.
• For : Is set in the head of May Young, an elderly lady in a care home suffering from dementia, who has annual contact with Miles.
• The : Revolves around Brooke, the daughter of two of the guests of the party—and the only person to have contact with Miles since his self-inflicted imprisonment.

See also

• There but for the grace of God

References

External links

• There But For The at Goodreads

Reviews

• The story of a dinner guest who refuses to leave develops into a satire on the way we live now in Ali Smith's enjoyably playful new novel review by Sarah Churchwell for The Observer
• Lucy Daniel marvels at There But For The, Ali Smith’s agile, funny new novel review from The Daily Telegraph
• After Hiding, He Becomes a Celebrity review from The New York Times
• There But For The By Ali Smith review from The Independent
• Ali Smith's There But For The is a seriously playful puzzle of a novel review by Alex Clark for The Guardian
• Ali Smith is a master of stylistic daring, writes Nicholas Lezard review by Nicholas Lezard for The Guardian

Interviews

• Ali Smith discusses a debt to Franz Kafka, the nature of celebrity culture and the importance of outsiders
• Interview: Ali Smith - There but for the