After suffering decades of brutal neglect, Winkie, a mangy old teddy bear, realises that he can actually move. He jumps out the window, and takes to the forest. But just as he is discovering the joys and wonders of mobility, self-determination, even love, Winkie’s luck ends.
Discovered by the military, who instantly conclude that he is the evil mastermind behind dozens of terrorist attacks, Winkie is brought to trial. In this War against Terror the prosecution will stop at nothing to get a conviction.
Scathingly funny, and not a little weird, Winkie brilliantly exposes the cruel absurdities of our age and explores what it means to be human in an increasingly barbaric world.
Discovered by the military, who instantly conclude that he is the evil mastermind behind dozens of terrorist attacks, Winkie is brought to trial. In this War against Terror the prosecution will stop at nothing to get a conviction.
Scathingly funny, and not a little weird, Winkie brilliantly exposes the cruel absurdities of our age and explores what it means to be human in an increasingly barbaric world.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
WINKIE is the most ambitious book of the year
'A hilariously inventive kitchen-sink drama [that] reads both as War on Terror spoof and stark family epic. But what elevates Chase's work above simple cleverness is the magic of the prose itself, which derives beauty from all things.'
'In this wryly comic, paradoxically touching first novel, Chase delivers a cleverly original allegory on the absurdities of our terror-obsessed culture . . . A masterfully measured social critique featuring a protagonist as endearing as any from the classics of childhood literature.'
'Chase makes this out-of-left-field story work brilliantly; a funny and sweet yet seriously topical novel.'
'I really loved the book . . . I enjoyed the satirical bent, I thought it was clever and deft, and also the pictures made me laugh heartily.'
'Clifford Chase’s debut novel, WINKIE is the gripping and bizarre story of a teddy bear who gets involved in the war on terror. You will believe.'
‘If Animal Farm were to bump into Monty Python in a dark alley the result might be WINKIE.’
‘Winkie is a luminous achievement – a magical, eccentric novel about the subversive imagination, and about the power of anarchic play. I recommend this book with the utmost enthusiasm and joy’
‘Winkie's trial is a minor masterpiece of ridiculousness, in which the prosecution's move to end the trial after it has presented its side sounds uncomfortably close to what we read in the newspapers. . . Chase puts himself in the same league as David Sedaris with this unclassifiable debut’