The Threat Level Remains Severe

by Rowena Macdonald

Overview

Shortlisted for The Guardian's Not the Booker Prize, The Threat Level Remains Severe charts the collision of three unlikely characters in a classically British novel.

'A funny, observational comedy' Sunday Express

Grace Ambrose, Brett Beamish and Reuben Swift appear to have little in common, but as each of them negotiates metropolitan life, they find their fates entwined.

Arty, liberal-minded House of Commons secretary Grace has been counting the tea breaks in the same dull job for approaching a decade and feels she could do something better ...if only she knew what.

New recruit Brett, a smooth, high-flying Australian, is on a mission to shake up the dusty backrooms of power - and on a collision path with Grace. Office life begins to look up when Grace receives an email from an admirer with musical and poetic talents ...but is soulful, enigmatic Reuben Swift really who he says he is? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910709153
Publisher:	Gallic Books Limited
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Rowena Macdonald was born on the Isle of Wight, grew up in the West Midlands and now lives in East London. Her debut collection, Smoked Meat, was short-listed for the 2012 Edge Hill Prize. Her short stories have won various prizes and been published by Galley Beggar Press, Influx Press, Ambit, Unthank Books and Serpent's Tail, among others. 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'The Threat Level Remains Severe, shining a sly light into the mundane backrooms and office romances of the corridors of power, is a stylish, bleakly funny and sad, acutely observed contemporary drama.’ Shena Mackay, author of The Orchard on Fire

‘Surely one of the most insightful, honest and reassuringly humane tales of the true workings of the Mother of Parliaments in all its shabby, slapdash and vainglorious reality’ Robert Edric

‘Confident, funny and poignant. Macdonald’s world draws the reader in irresistibly’ Jane Rogers

‘Deliciously erotic and hugely readable, with some wonderful moments of illumination’ Maureen Freely

Editorial Reviews

‘Sharp, funny, warm – and charmingly odd… If only all fiction emerging from Westminster could be this rewarding’ The Guardian  

'A funny, observational comedy... that takes a darker turn' Sunday Express

'A brilliantly observed examination of choices and consequences, of why we act as we do and of just how similar we all are' Litro Magazine

''Intriguing… an incredibly well-written debut novel' Closer Magazine

'Sharp and entertaining' Carys Bray, author of A Song For Issy Bradley

'A witty and well-observed contemporary drama' Good Housekeeping Magazine

'A quirky rom-com set in the House of Commons... this one gets my vote' Red Magazine, Best Summer Beach Books 2017

'A deftly crafted and original novel by an author with a genuine flair for compelling storytelling' Wisconsin Bookwatch Magazine

'The Threat Level Remains Severe, shining a sly light into the mundane backrooms and office romances of the corridors of power, is a stylish, bleakly funny and sad, acutely observed contemporary drama' Shena Mackay, author of The Orchard on Fire

Praise for Rowena MacDonald

'Confident, funny and poignant. Macdonald's world draws the reader in irresistibly' Jane Rogers

'Deliciously erotic and hugely readable, with some wonderful moments of illumination' Maureen Freely

'Surely one of the most insightful, honest and reassuringly humane tales of the true workings of the Mother of Parliaments in all its shabby, slapdash and vainglorious reality' Robert Edric 

From the Publisher