An astonishingly original novel for adults from the multi award-winning children's author, Gary Crew

'I lived many lives beneath that piano ... I heard ten thousand stories in that space. there I was privileged to observe, to gather - and not only gather, to concentrate within myself - so much that is usually denied a child of my age. As a result, I have, you might say, grown.' So says Augustus trump - a dwarf destined to be a circus freak. Cursed by nature as he is, Augustus is nevertheless blessed with a determination to survive, and more than survive, to grow. this growth, both in stature and in spirit, is brought about by a second blessing - his divine voice: an instrument so sublime that even the stars pay heed. Because no-one knows better the agonies, the violence and the love that inform the poetic than Augustus trump: dwarf, protege, man. tHE ARCHItECtURE OF SONG is a truly magical, unique novel of beauty, imagination and song, with a cast of dark, surprising characters who will enchant and delight you, just as the songs of Augustus trump enchant and transform them.