Dr Anna Katharina Schaffner, Reader in Comparative Literature and Medical Humanities and Head of the Department of Comparative Literature has had her debut novel, The Truth about Julia, published by Allen & Unwin.

In June 2014, Julia White – a beautiful and intelligent young woman – blows up a coffee shop in central London, killing 24 people before turning herself in to the police. Apart from publishing a potentially ironic manifesto, she refuses to explain the reasons for her actions. Clare Hardenberg, an investigative journalist, has been commissioned to write a biography of Julia but at the start of the novel she is on her way to prison herself. What has brought her to this point?

The novel has been described by Waterstones’ reviewers as a ‘gripping psychological thriller’ and a ‘thought-provoking and chilling literary thriller’. One reviewer commented ‘What I liked most about this novel was its intelligence and originality. While it was a proper page-turner, it raised some very thought-provoking questions, making it a more satisfying read than the average thriller.’

The book is available to order at: http://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/The%20Truth%20About%20Julia