{"product_id":"five","title":"Five","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eIlona Bannister\u003c\/b\u003e, born and raised in New York, lives in the UK with her husband and sons. Her first book, \n\u003ci\u003eWhen I Ran Away\u003c\/i\u003e, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"You haven't read a thriller like this.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKatie Couric Media\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Propulsive, sharp, and ferociously addictive, \n\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the most original novels I've read in years. I devoured it quickly, but I can't stop thinking about this story. Ilona Bannister is such a talent.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Alafair Burke, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Note\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Better Sister\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Ilona Bannister has written a riveting, ticking time bomb of a novel. \n\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e is brilliant: a gripping tour de force about destiny and choice--and, yes, an oncoming train. I devoured it. You will, too.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Chris Bohjalian, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Viscerally insightful, emotionally punchy, wryly observed, and with scalpel-precision writing, \n\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e is a tour de force of a novel. I read it in one sitting. Bravo!\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Sarah Pinborough, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eBehind Her Eyes\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWe Live Here Now\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Original. Urgent. Disturbing. Brilliant. Quite unlike anything I've ever read. Don't miss this one--Ilona Bannister is a major talent.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Shari Lapena, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Couple Next Door\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShe Didn't See It Coming\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eFive \u003c\/i\u003eis twisty, inventive, and dark as a subway tunnel. Bannister dissects the thriller trope with a meta-edged scalpel, divulging to the reader the dubious morality inside each of her characters and asking us to weigh the scales of our empathy as we discover who lives, who dies, and--to our horror--how we might have chosen differently.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Philip Fracassi, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This is not your average whodunit . . . [A] tense, deftly written page-turner filled with memorable characters, a surprisingly philosophical core, and a plot in which each minute brings a new surprise . . . [C]lever and incisive writing and the unique format make readers participants in the action and complicit in weighing the characters' worthiness. It's unsettling and immersive.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[A] sharply observed suspense novel from Bannister . . . [her] compassion and gift for nerve-shredding tension make this a ride worth taking.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Bannister writes a morbidly entertaining story about deeply unlikable characters and the familial trauma that brings them all together. Her choice to break the fourth wall is a clever way to tell a story that only takes place over the span of about five minutes . . . for fans of intense psychological thrillers.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[T]he most innovative, creative thriller you will read this year . . . Sharply observed, meticulously plotted and creative beyond belief, \n\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e is a genre-breaker, a game-changer and a mind-bender . . . Sure to top this year's best-of lists and announce Ilona Bannister as a talent to watch. She is one of the most inventive authors I have ever had the pleasure of reading.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Bookreporter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER - \"[A] sizzling summer thriller . . . a kind of morality tale, a Rorschach test for all of us.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e(Editors' Choice) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFive lives. Five stories. Four will live--one will die. Who it will be? In this slow-burn masterpiece of psychological fiction, the choice is all yours.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping, chilling story that asks difficult questions about judgement, forgiveness, and the notion of cause and effect.\"--Chris Whitaker, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAll the Colors of the Dark\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHave you ever tried to pass the time by imagining the lives of the strangers standing next to you? Ilona Bannister's \n\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e introduces readers to five seemingly random people waiting for a train. But these are not just any five people. From the beginning we know that one of them is going to die soon. Very soon. In five minutes the next train to London will arrive, killing one of them. But before this happens you will learn their stories. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNone of these people are saints. Readers might fall in love with the beautiful young man who is on the verge of gambling his life away. They may pity the cantankerous old woman who has fallen to the ground yet is refusing help. Perhaps readers will look away from the child throwing a tantrum. Or judge his mother, who must surely be to blame. And some will be curiously compelled by the successful and damaged businessman orbiting them all. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese are the candidates for this morning's misfortune. But they don't know it. Only you know. And you, our complicit reader, will not be able to resist deciding who deserves to walk away, and who deserves only five more minutes to live. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn incredibly original novel that breaks the fourth wall and asks the reader to be judge, jury, and executioner, \n\u003ci\u003eFive\u003c\/i\u003e looks at some of the most complicated issues of contemporary life: motherhood, disability, addiction. Every stranger has a story. And in Ilona Bannister's skillful hands, five people's stories come together to create an unforgettable novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/27\/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9798217088027, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/02\/2026 (EAN 9798217088027, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/15\/2026 (EAN 9798217088027, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/01\/2026 (EAN 9798217088027, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Crown Publishing Group (NY)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496277901590,"sku":"9798217088027","price":33.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9798217088027.jpg?v=1783058885","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/five","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}