Sunstruck

William Rayfet Hunter

$34.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

RANDOM HOUSE UK LTD
20 May 2025

Fiction & Literature; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Romance; Fiction: special features; Social issues & processes; Social classes

The unmissable debut from the 2022 #Merky New Writers' Prize winner

AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025

WINNER OF THE #MERKY BOOKS 2022 NEW WRITERS' PRIZE

'Sticky, twisting and dangerous . . . compels, unravelling the fraught strings that keep the elite class together and asking if an outsider can ever truly belong in their fold' REBECCA K REILLY

'This summer's hottest read' SUNDAY TIMES

'Beautifully written and well-paced . . . builds tension as it approaches an exciting revelation' JACQUELINE CROOKS

'Very hard to put down . . . A truly gripping story about privilege and perspective from a writer with a sharp pen and a wicked sense of humour whose incredible career is only just beginning' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS

'Smart, bracing, sexy . . . I was completely gripped' JACK PARLETT

'A stunning and tender debut. Sultry and compulsive. Full of heart' SOULA EMMANUEL

It's summer and a young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France. At the dinner table, the Blake siblings await him- Lily, his carefree friend from university; Dot, the rebellious younger sister; and Felix - handsome, charismatic and guarded.

Between sun-drenched days spent lounging by the pool and nights blurring into endless, opulent parties, the man is captivated by Felix's restless allure. As his desire grows, the chance to become part of the family and their world of money and power starts to feel within reach.

But the idyllic haze of summer fades as they return to London and the cracks in the Blakes' careful fa ade begin to show. With the two men tormented by demons of their own, their bond is increasingly tested and pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them.

Sunstruck is a dazzling and poignant exploration of race, status and the parts of ourselves we risk losing when we fall in love.

'Poignant, tender, and wonderfully honest' CHLOE MICHELLE HOWARTH

'Rich and complex' COSMOPOLITAN

By: William Rayfet Hunter
Imprint: RANDOM HOUSE UK LTD
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 143mm, Spine: 33mm
Weight: 486g
ISBN: 9781529919790
ISBN 10: 1529919797
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 20 May 2025
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

William Rayfet Hunter is a British-Jamaican writer from the North West of England. They now live and work in East London. Their non-fiction writing has been published by VICE, Dazed, and the Evening Standard. Sunstruck, their debut novel, won the #Merky Books New Writers' Prize 2022.

Reviews for Sunstruck

A stunning and tender debut. Sultry and compulsive. Full of heart -- Soula Emmanuel Gorgeous and heartbreaking. I loved it -- Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed