Chris Cleave Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Chris Cleave is a reputed novelist from the United Kingdom, who is well known for writing literature & fiction, adult fiction, sports, British literature, contemporary, and war novels. He has written several successful standalone books in his career so far. Among his popular books, there are novels called Incendiary, Gold, Little Bee, Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Gull, etc. In addition to be a popular author, he is also a respected journalist. Author Cleave was born on May 14, 1973 in London. His upbringing was done in Buckinghamshire and Cameroon. Cleave completed his graduation from the Balliol College in Oxford and obtained a degree in psychology. As of today, he resides in the UK with his happy family, comprising of his 3 children a beautiful French wife.

Author Cleave embarked on the path of writing novels for the first time with the book Incendiary. This novel was released in 20 countries and achieved success in almost all the places of its publication. The book was also adapted into a Hollywood feature film that starred Edward McGregor and Michelle Williams in the lead roles. This novel also helped author Cleave to win the Maugham Award in 2006. There was also a nomination for the Writers’ Prize by Commonwealth in the same year. After its successful run, the publishers decided to release an audiobook of this novel. They selected the Australian actress named Susan Lyons to be the voice that reads the story. Author Cleave made a second attempt at glorifying his writing career and it also worked wonders for him. The Other Hand was published in 2008 and went on to be described as a powerful art piece, shocking, deeply affecting, exciting, and superb by the literary magazine called The Independent. The book, which was published as Little Bee in some places, was shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Awards.

Author Cleave has said that he was able to write this novel by taking inspiration from the time he spent in West Africa as a child. The BBC Films production company bought the rights in association with the Blossom Films to develop the book’s story into a movie. Nicole Kidman was cast as the main lead in that film. As a journalist, author Cleave writes columns for the Guardian in London. Author Cleave received a great boost when he learned that his book, Little Bee, has reached the number 1 spot on the NY Times best-selling list. It helped to make him an even more famous novelist after reaching the 2 million mark of sales in printed copies. Author Cleave enjoys indulging in interactions with his fans and readers. He frequently invites people to have a direct interaction with him related to any topic. The inspiration for author Cleave to write excellent novels came from the popular works of some of the most prominent writers like Cormac McCarthy, John Steinbeck, Annie Prou, Virginia Woolf, Emile Zola, Howard Jacobson, etc. While studying at the Oxford University, Cleave was employed for a short period. He also undertook jobs like gardening, painting underpasses, picking up litter, etc., Later, Cleave used all the experiences for writing a book and it served him quite well. Cleave considers himself very lucky to have achieved so much success as a writer. He wishes to keep writing and coming up with interesting novels in the future as well. He hopes his fans will like his future works like the way they have liked his already published novels.

A very successful book of author Chris Cleave is entitled ‘Incendiary’. It was released by the Anchor publication in the year 2005. The book attracted a lot of international attention because of its plot’s eerie similarity to the London bombings in 2005 which took place on the day of the book’s publication. The book won a Fiction Award in 2005 and was then later adapted into a movie having the same name. Author Cleave has written the plot in the epistolary first person manner. The lead character, a young lady and a mother, writes an emotional letter to a notorious terrorist named Osama bin Laden following the incendiary bombings in London.

At the start of the book’s story, it is shown that the life of a young mom is destroyed when her 4 year old son and husband get killed in the bombing during a soccer match. She could not take the sudden turn of fate and goes into depression. As the days pass by, she tries to fight her depression, but finds it very hard. More than the depression, she seems bothered by the guilt of having committed adultery on the same fateful day and feels she cannot forgive herself. This book received numerous positive reviews. It was called as a mesmerizing description and a benefit for good fiction genre. The characters appear to be sustained, informed, and driven throughout the plot. Some critics also labeled the book as a strong, heart-breaking, realistic, and intelligent story. Cleave has said that the book is actually about the mother’s feelings, who loses everything in the deadly bomb blasts.

Another exciting penned by Cleave is called ‘Gold’. It was published by the Simon & Schuster in 2012. The central plot of this book revolves around friendship & rivalry between 2 women and the consequences of the choices they end up making in the determination of outplaying each other. The primary characters introduced by author Cleave include Zoe Castle and Kate Meadows, who are professional cyclists and close friends. They remain rivals on the field and always show the winning attitude in every situation. Kate and Zoe go on to participate in the London Olympics, the big event that changes their lives forever.

At the beginning of the story of the book, it is depicted that Zoe and Kate meet each other at the age of 19 during a cycling competition. Zoe continues to remain in the profession, while Kate gives it up completely with the start of her family life. Zoe Castle wins many medals at the Commonwealth and Olympic games, and makes a reputation for herself. After a few years, Kate Meadows decides to re-enter competitive cycling with the hope of getting selected for the London Olympics. Kate faces a very difficult situation during the preparations as her daughter is down with leukemia. This book also garnered critical reception for its inspirational story. Author Cleave’s writing was praised a lot along with his description of the chief characters. Many fellow authors gave great reviews to the story and applauded the efforts of Cleave in coming up with such a unique sports story.