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The Instant

The Instant

by Amy Liptrot

Canongate ·2022 ·180 pages ·Memoir
Near the Top
Near the Top
I Index
56/99
Near the Top

68/99

Critics

Maybe Someday

43/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

70/99

Rating

66/99

Volume

14/99

Rating

72/99

Volume

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About This Book

Wishing to leave the quiet isolation of her Orkney island life, Amy Liptrot books a one-way flight to Berlin. Searching for new experiences, inspiration and love, she rents a loftbed in a shared flat and looks for work. She explores the streets, nightclubs and parks and seeks out the city's wildlife - goshawks, raccoons and hooded crows. She looks for love through the screen of her laptop. Over the course of a year Amy makes space for something to happen, hoping for the unexpected. And it comes with an erotic jolt, in the form of a love affair that obsesses her. The Instant is a frank and luscious look at the addictive power of love and lust. It is also an exploration of the cycles of the moon, the flight paths of migratory birds, the mesmerising power of Neolithic stonework and the trails followed behind by a generation who exist online.


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Reviews

"Liptrot captures the flattening, insulating impact of handheld devices on the experience of travel ..."

Evie Wyld· The New York Times Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Her writing is contemplative, but comes with pleasing flashes of grit and humour ..."

Fiona Sturges· The Guardian Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Scottish author Amy Liptrot's new book is a case in point ..."

Sarah Gilmartin· The Irish Times Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Liptrot avoids over-analysis: the reader is given a gap to get in, between the author and the scene, where they can form their own thoughts ..."

Rozalind Dineen· Times Literary Supplement Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"She diligently searches for love, setting off on first date after first date."

Hephzibah Anderson· The Guardian Read review ↗ Near the Top

"The city remains at a remove ..."

Mia Levitin· Financial Times Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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