Miyuki Woodward, lover of pints and Pot Noodles, has been spending holidays in the same Welsh seaside town for years. She loves the wet walks, she loves The Anchor and most of all she loves the pub-quiz.
This year, following an act of raw creativity involving some cans of gold spray paint, Miyuki will take part in the most turbulent events the village has seen since Tall Mr Hughes returned from the pub toilet without remembering to button up.
Oh, how we love Dan Rhodes. Reliably odd but fabulous.
To achieve what Rhodes does here and effortlessly sustain immaculate comic timing throughout a novel â well, thatâs just rude.
Laugh-out-loud funny.
HeatClever and very funny, <I>Gold</I> goes straight to the heart. After reading this you will never think about sneezing in the same way again.
Hilary MantelWonderfully unpredictable. Draws you in from the very first page. I couldn't put it down. </B>
Alan CarrSmashing. Had me snorting like a hippo in mud.
Sunday HeraldAbsolutely flawless comic writing. Original, fresh and funny.
ObserverHilarious and acutely affecting.
Independent on Sunday<I>Gold </I>is a funny little novel, both humorous and strange.
David Smith, ObserverThe quirky, determined inconsequential style of Rhodes's novel bears a passing resemblance to that of Alexander McCall Smith.
Christina Koning, The Times<I>Gold </I>adroitly mines the potential of a remote community with its range of idiosyncratic residents . . . Rhodes has created a cast of memorable oddities.
A.S., GuardianRhodes has a quirky talent for teasing the comic out of the mundane, and there's more than a hint of the surreal in this engaging witty novel. . .
Victoria Moore, Daily MailThis retains the bitter flavour that fans love. Deceptively light, it is flecked with gold.
IndependentAny good? Oh, very . . . Complementing the jokes is a lovely strain of melancholy. . .
Colin Waters, Sunday HeraldLovely, whimsical stuff
Katy Guest, IndependentOne of the best writers in the country . . . excellent, original, funny and profound.
Danny Wallace, Daily Express'Full of dark and twisted humour that jumps off the page and gives you a short, sharp kick to the funny bone. Gold is laugh-out-loud funny . . . An amusing, original read.'
Heat'Hilarious and acutely affecting.'
Independent on Sunday'Very clever and very funny, Gold goes straight to the heart. Dan Rhodes is a true original, with a fresh, funny, quirky style that seems to owe nothing to other writers, and everything to his own powers of invention.'
Hilary Mantel'Rhodes's fans already know about his skill with character, his brilliant sense of humour and ability to pull the rug from under the reader at just the right moment, but Gold is an even more emotionally powerful read than anything he's written before. This tale of a Japanese woman struggling to find her place in a small Welsh community is Rhodes at his very best, and that's as good as it gets.'
Matt Thorne'With Gold, Dan Rhodes comes close to perfecting the fragile balance of sadness and humour that has marked out his books as special for some time . . . It's worth stating again - this is a damn funny book . . . had me snorting like a hippo in mud.'
Herald'Dan Rhodes is my favourite author who isn't dead.'
Stewart Lee
