I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

The last of John Burnside s three memoirs I Put a Spell on You is an enthralling ode to love and wonder in all its forms With a new introduction by Seán Hewitt A master of language Hilary MantelThe first time he was played I Put a Spell on You John Burnside thought he had never heard a more beautiful song it was an enchantment a fascination that would turn to obsession Implicit in the song were all the ambiguities that intrigued him love possession and danger In this exquisite and haunting book John Burnside evokes his coming of age from the industrial misery of Cowdenbeath and Corby to the new world of Cambridge and follows his drifting thoughts and memories along the way from uncanny encounters with lost girls to digressions on voodoo acid and insomnia alongside a cast that includes Kafka Narcissus Diane Arbus and Screamin Jay Hawkins The last of John Burnside s three memoirs I Put a Spell on You is a memoir of romance of lost love and the love of being lost darkened by threat illuminated by glamour Astonishing Not just brilliant but essential reading Independent Exact and enthralling Tessa Hadley