About this ebook
An “intelligent, disturbing slice of noir” that portrays the man who derailed the police investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper (The Guardian).
In this provocative novel, Mark Blacklock portrays the true and complex history of John Humble, aka Wearside Jack, the Ripper Hoaxer, a timewaster and criminal, sympathetic and revolting, the man hidden by a wall of words, a fiction-spinner worthy of textual analysis. In this remarkable work, John Humble leads the reader into an allusive, elusive labyrinth of interpretations, simultaneously hoodwinking and revealing.
I’m Jack is a riveting novel about truth, lies, prison and shame. It is also a profound and furious love letter to Sunderland. It is a puzzle, a hoax, a multi-voice portrait and a virtuoso assemblage of textual elements. I’m Jack announces the arrival of a radically talented and innovative novelist.
“A gripping study in self-invention—and, ultimately, self-erasure.”—Tom McCarthy, author of the Man Booker Prize finalists, Satin Island and C
“Here are dark telegrams from an expertly realized otherness that is Sunderland. Spare. Swift. Smart. And dangerous. Carrying us through maps of shame to rescue a convincing fiction of the past from its sullen entropy.”—Iain Sinclair, award-winning author of The Last London
“A chilling debut . . . An audacious exercise in mimicry . . . Its tone is mischievous, with a vein of dark, crafty humor—though the overall effect is somber. Blacklock’s Humble is impossible to like; yet by the end it is almost impossible not to feel sorry for him.”—Financial Times
“A deftly executed ventriloquist act, it’s anchored in the true story of notorious hoaxer John Humble.”—Observer
In this provocative novel, Mark Blacklock portrays the true and complex history of John Humble, aka Wearside Jack, the Ripper Hoaxer, a timewaster and criminal, sympathetic and revolting, the man hidden by a wall of words, a fiction-spinner worthy of textual analysis. In this remarkable work, John Humble leads the reader into an allusive, elusive labyrinth of interpretations, simultaneously hoodwinking and revealing.
I’m Jack is a riveting novel about truth, lies, prison and shame. It is also a profound and furious love letter to Sunderland. It is a puzzle, a hoax, a multi-voice portrait and a virtuoso assemblage of textual elements. I’m Jack announces the arrival of a radically talented and innovative novelist.
“A gripping study in self-invention—and, ultimately, self-erasure.”—Tom McCarthy, author of the Man Booker Prize finalists, Satin Island and C
“Here are dark telegrams from an expertly realized otherness that is Sunderland. Spare. Swift. Smart. And dangerous. Carrying us through maps of shame to rescue a convincing fiction of the past from its sullen entropy.”—Iain Sinclair, award-winning author of The Last London
“A chilling debut . . . An audacious exercise in mimicry . . . Its tone is mischievous, with a vein of dark, crafty humor—though the overall effect is somber. Blacklock’s Humble is impossible to like; yet by the end it is almost impossible not to feel sorry for him.”—Financial Times
“A deftly executed ventriloquist act, it’s anchored in the true story of notorious hoaxer John Humble.”—Observer
About the author
MARK BLACKLOCK has a doctorate in 4th Dimensionality, speaks third-class Japanese and was once a human cannonball. He lives in South London with his wife and three daughters. Mark's debut novel, I'M JACK, about the Yorkshire RIpper hoaxer, was published by Granta in June 2015, and is currently being made into a feature film.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
