Beautifully and elegantly written. James’s aim is to gain a “prominent reputation” at university. He makes friends with a group led by the rich, but damaged Francis, spending most of his time eminently grateful that he can enjoy their company and lifestyle, desperate to fit in. However it is evident that all the characters have their insecurities and are all just as desperate to be accepted covering it up with bravado and arrogance, no more so than when they are scaling the heights of the Cambridge colleges for the ultimate buzz. Stourton’s writing seduces the reader as much as James is seduced by the Night Climbers. We will eagerly await this author’s second novel.
James, a first-year student at Cambridge, is overwhelmed by the thrill of opportunity and startled by his own hunger for friendship. He finds himself seduced by a covert and exclusive circle of friends - the 'Tudor Night Climbers' - who scale the university’s turrets after dark, transforming it into a dangerous playground of spiralling heights.
When still only a novice member of his tribe, James begins to fall for the only female in the group, the enigmatic and beautiful Jessica, and is soon at the heart of a fatal love triangle with the reckless and charismatic leader of the group, Francis. When a volatile relationship finally explodes, the Night Climbers' funding suddenly dries up, until Francis dreams up a heist that will secure them millions, but will also test their very souls.
Partly inspired by the original 'Night Climbers' of the Sixties who famously made dare-devil leaps from college roofs, this passionate exploration of youth at its most vital and unstable marks the debut of a strikingly gifted new writer.
Ivo Stourton was born in 1982 and works in the city of London. His debut novel, THE NIGHT CLIMBERS, a thriller about the secret club of students who scale the college walls of Cambridge, is currently being filmed by the young indie director, Marek Losey.
