A dark and compelling debut novel about addiction, creativity, and the fragility of the ties that bind us.
The stable life that Elliot has attempted to build over the last forty years hangs by a thread. His marriage is ready to crumble at the slightest disturbance, his resistance to an ongoing battle with alcohol and drugs is tested daily, while his friends frequently increase the pressure on both. He's desperate to produce meaningful art, yet his painting feels more laborious by the day, to the extent that he's avoiding the creative process altogether.A dangerous friendship with a charismatic but volatile neighbour and the aftermath of a brutally shocking domestic incident sees Elliot flee to Trinidad in search of sobriety and inspiration. It's a country that has nurtured him in the past, but in whose rekindled relationships lie secrets that now threaten to tear the fabric of his life apart. As Christmas approaches, Elliot's cynical eye is cast more keenly over the world around him, triggering an urge that is as destructive as it is clear-sighted.
Unnerving, twisted, and utterly gripping, A Dog Unchained will keep you questioning the relationship between creativity and conformity until the very last page.
