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      Dumb House

      by John Burnside
      Published
      Nov 2009
      Main Genre
      General Fiction General Fiction
      Rating
      Pages
      208
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      About This Book

      As a child, Luke's mother often tells him the story of the Dumb House, an experiment on newborn babies raised in silence, designed to test the innateness of language.

      As Luke grows up, his interest in language and the delicate balance of life and death leads to amateur dissections of small animals – tiny hearts revealed still pumping, as life trickles away. But as an adult, following the death of his mother, Luke's obsession deepens, resulting in a haunting and bizarre experiment on Luke's own children.

      ‘A wonderfully disturbing book - chillingly focused and lyrically amoral with moments of remarkable stillness and beauty.' A.L. Kennedy

      ‘Burnside's prose is exquisite, and he dissects his themes with delicacy to produce a novel resonant with poetic menace' Sunday Times

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction

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      Formats & Editions

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      Paperback

      Paperback edition cover
      Paperback
      First Edition Nov 2009 Vintage (UK) ISBN13 9780099546528 ISBN10 0099546523
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      Trade Paperback
      May 1997 Random House (UK) ISBN13 9780224042079 ISBN10 0224042076
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      Paperback
      Jun 1998 Vintage ISBN13 9780099582717 ISBN10 0099582716
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      Paperback edition cover
      Trade Paperback
      Aug 2015 Random House (UK) ISBN13 9781784870119 ISBN10 1784870110
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      eBook

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      eBook
      Dec 2010 Random House ISBN13 9781446412237 ISBN10 1446412237
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      eBook
      Dec 2010 Vintage Digital ISBN10 B004ASOVVC
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