This is an auction for THE SOCIETY OF OTHERS by William Nicholson.

"Disconnected from his family - and the world at large - a nameless teenager leaves his London home and hitches a ride with a portly truck driver who ponders philosophy to pass the time. Their lives take a tragic turn at the checkpoint of a totalitarian state, where terrorists murder the driver and set fire to his cargo (a stash of books titled The Society of Others, penned by a freethinker named Vicino). Armed with a mysterious "list" and a single Vicino volume salvaged from the wreckage, the young narrator seeks temporary refuge with a quartet of dubious dissidents who "fight torture with poetry" but leave guns "lying about like other people leave umbrellas." He escapes their clutches only to find himself in further precarious straits: appearing on a state-run TV show, reading poetry at a stranger's wedding, and participating in a seminar hosted by an agnostic priest. Tony-nominated playwright and screenwriter Nicholson weaves social and political commentary into this thought-provoking page-turner about coming-of-age in a chaotic world."

• Booklist (US)

Very favourable reviews on Amazon.com.

Hardback 2004.

224 pages.

Very good condition.

The cost of shipping is $6.95.

There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Palmerston North following the auction.

Payment within seven days, please.