Jon McGregor

Jon McGregor is one of the UK’s most acclaimed and beloved novelists, winning numerous awards for his unique and innovative storylines. Born in Bermuda in 1976, McGregor moved to Leicester in England when he was 11 and attended city-centre schools. After leaving school, he worked in a factory for some time and later trained as a probation officer. That aside, he found his true love in writing, working on his first novel Reservoir 13 over a period of 12 years before its publication in 2017.

McGregor has written nine novels, alongside a number of other works of fiction and non-fiction. His writing style is visual and often immersive, characterized by vivid imagery and capturing the atmosphere of his chosen locations. This has earned him such awards as the International Dublin Literary Award, the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award, the Betty Trask Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

McGregor’s debut novel Reservoir 13 is set in a rural village in the Peak District. It traces the ripple effect of a missing girl on the villagers' lives over the course of 13 years. The story moves slowly but confidently forwards, examining people’s changing existences and attitude towards the village throughout the years. It has been praised as „minimalist epic“ by the New York Times and is one of McGregor’s most popular and well-known novels.

2013’s If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things tells the story of a single day on a street in an unnamed English city, in which each character is creating their own version of the world they inhabit. Its challenge to traditional narrative structure has made it a popular and lauded book, with author Zachary Mason selecting it as one of his eight favorite books of all time.

The Reservoir Trilogy, which continues the journey started with Reservoir 13 and ends with This Isn't the Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You, shows McGregor’s masterful handling of the slowly evolving narrative. Spanning 16 years, the three books follow the struggles of the characters who inhabit the same village where a young girl’s disappearance years before set off a chain of events that would forever change their lives.

McGregor's 2002 novel So Many Ways to Begin was a finalist for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and tells the story of a librarian who can’t seem to settle to one life, who moves from place to place, relationships, jobs and pursuits. Similarly, 2004's Leave the World Behind follows a family in their journey of self-discovery and exploration, struggling to find a place they can truly call home.

Jon McGregor’s works are critically acclaimed and adored by readers alike. His stories often tackle difficult topics and provide a unique exploration of the emotional interior and complex history of his characters. Through carefully executed dialogue and intensely detailed scenes, McGregor paints a vivid and captivating portrait of modern-day England, its people and their struggles.