Amber

By Stephan Collishaw

Description: Antanas is a young Lithuanian conscripted to fight in the Soviet War in Afghanistan where he falls in love with a young Afghani nurse. She opens his eyes to the politics of the war, while making bearable the brutal reality of their situation -until her sudden death sends him spiralling into a breakdown and to a psychiatric hospital back home in Vilnius. Vassily, a war comrade, rescues him and teaches him his trade -crafting amber jewellery -helping Antanas to let go of the past.But Vassily has a guilty secret -eight years later, on his deathbed, he cannot make a full confession, but charges Antanas with retrieving the priceless amber bracelet he smuggled out of Afghanistan during the war. After Antanas reluctantly agrees, he discovers not only that a dangerous rival is also searching for it, but also the terrible price Vassily paid for it. Only then can he truly make peace with the past and with his estranged wife.Praise for Amber 'Collishaw's latest evokes Hemingway's war-torn landscapes with spare language and haunting imagery... a sensuous tale of survival... an intensely moving account of this war and the scars it has left.' Good Book Guide'Gripping... A haunting and ultimately uplifting tale of love, friendship and betrayal.' Waterstones Book Quarterly'Collishaw is impressive in his descriptions of war... The struggle of a man to return from such horrors and try to live as a loving husband and father is described by him in heartbreaking detail. This is a compulsive read.' Nottingham Evening Post 'A tumultuous tale of friendship distorted by love, greed and the distorting effects of war... a captivating read.' Yorkshire Post

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dean Street Press
• Release date: Feb 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781910570012

Stephan Collishaw

Stephan Collishaw was brought up on a Nottingham council estate and failed all of his O'levels. His first novel 'The Last Girl' (2003) was chosen by the Independent on Sunday as one of its Novels of the Year. In 2004 Stephan was selected as one of the British Council's 20 best young British novelists. His brother is the renowned artist, Mat Collishaw. Stephan now works as a teacher in Nottingham, having also lived and worked abroad in Lithuania and Mallorca, where his son Lukas was born. Follow Stephan on Twitter at @scollishaw