‘Thoughtful and brave… bleakly humorous and moving.’
Times Literary Supplement
No Fireworks was Rodge’s first novel, published in trade paperback by Faber & Faber in 2005, then in paperback in 2006. The novel was shortlisted for four awards: The Authors’ Club First Novel Award, The Saltire First Novel Award, The Dylan Thomas Prize and the Glen Dimplex First Book Award (Ireland). It was published for the first time as an ebook in 2015.
‘A fine debut novel: highly readable and hinting at even better to come.’
The Herald
No Fireworks in brief – from the Faber site:
Abe Stone is a 61 year old alcoholic with a Henry VIII fixation going through his third divorce. When he starts receiving letters from his dead mother, Evelyn, he is thrown into a late-stage identity crisis. His fourteen-year old grand-daughter, Lucille, is expelled from school and the couple embark on a quest to work out what Evelyn is trying to impart and how Abe can begin to put his dishevelled life in order. No Fireworks is a compelling, funny and poignant story about eight extraordinary days in the life of an ordinary man who can no longer put off answering the big questions: ‘what do I believe in? Where do I belong? Why is my dead mother sending me letters from beyond the grave?’
More Praise for No Fireworks:
‘A wonderful debut by a writer we will certainly be hearing more from. Touching, funny and compelling.’ Louise Welsh, author of The Cutting Room
‘Glass has jumped on the Jewish bandwagon…even your house plants will work out what happens at the end.’
The Daily Telegraph
‘A superb debut novel…Like the best tragic comedies, it is written with a pin-sharp sense of character, isn’t afraid to take swings at the deepest subjects and can spin between the two modes at will.’
The Scotsman
You can buy No Fireworks here.
Rodge Glass 