Shades of Grey: A Novel

Jasper Fforde

Dec 2009 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Thursday Next series comes a “laugh-out-loud funny” (Los Angeles Times) and “brilliantly original” (Booklist, starred review) novel of a man attempting to navigate a color-coded world.

“A rich brew of dystopic fantasy and deadpan goofiness.”—The Washington Post

Welcome to Chromatacia, where the Colortocracy rules society through a social hierarchy based on one’s limited color perception. In this world, you are what you can see.
 
Eddie Russet wants to move up. When he and his father relocate to the backwater village of East Carmine, his carefully cultivated plans to leverage his better-than-average red perception and marry into a powerful family are quickly upended. Eddie must content with lethal swans, sneaky Yellows, inviolable rules, an enforced marriage to the hideous Violet deMauve, and a risky friendship with an intriguing Grey named Jane who shows Eddie that the apparent peace of his world is as much an illusion as color itself.
 
Will Eddie be able to tread the fine line between total conformity—accepting the path, partner, and career delineated by his hue—and his instinctive curiosity that is bound to get him into trouble?

Ratings and reviews

It was out first, but what an unfortunate title. Don't let it fool you. Imaginative and well thought out. As all of Jasper fforde' books it doesn't disappoint. Leaves me wanting to know more, in the future and in the "something that happened"

A wonderfully written tale of love, freedom, and sacrifice. Fforde did a masterfully jobs of creating a world that starts off confusing, yet one that pulls you in with cheerful delight.

It's a shame that people confuse it with 50 Shades of Grey. Half of the 1 star ratings are just assuming that it's 50 Shades of Grey.

About the author

Jasper Fforde spent twenty years in the film business before debuting on the New York Times bestseller list with The Eyre Affair, the first book in the Thursday Next series. He is also the author of Early Riser and The Constant Rabbit; the Nursery Crime Adventures series; the Shades of Grey series; and the Last Dragonslayer series, adapted for television as a movie. He lives in Wales.