Desperate Characters

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

'A towering landmark of postwar realism...a sustained work of prose so lucid and fine that it seems less written than carved.' DAVID FOSTER WALLACE 'Brilliant' New Yorker 'A master class on the terrors and sophistries of the American bourgeoisie.' TLS 'An honest vision of the harshness and complexities of domestic life.' Telegraph 'She is one of America's greatest living writers.' Scotsman

UK Kirkus review

Originally published in 1970, and out of print for over ten years, the re-publication of Paula Fox's classic novel Desperate Characters is long overdue. Tight, suffocating, a masterpiece of economical writing, this novel is an almost claustrophobic experience. Brilliantly conjuring up the foetid atmosphere of the New York streets, the language is redolent with putrefaction and despair. The city is rotten, the relationship between Otto Bentwood and his former partner is rotten, and now the decay threatens to overtake Sophie, Otto's languid wife. Sophie and Otto live in Brooklyn, cocooned in an elegant apartment while the sounds and smells of corrupt humanity are constantly pressing against their windows. When she takes pity on a starving cat one night, Sophie is badly bitten, and the wound refuses to heal. At first she plays down the extent of her injury, but quickly embraces the possibility of rabies, with an almost morbid fascination. Sophie seems to accept rabies as no more than she deserves - 'If I am rabid, I am equal to what is outside.' This acceptance of a possible corruption deep within herself is the culmination of the book. This is essentially Sophie's story as she struggles to escape from one minor crisis after another, only for everything to turn to ashes. There is no respite for her - even the sanctity of the Bentwoods' holiday home has been destroyed by vandals, and as she runs frantically from pillar to post, in ever decreasing circles, she turns to Otto at the end of the novel, only to face the ultimate rejection. This is the story of a world falling apart from creeping decay, as everything the family value as secure and safe begins to break down. Incidents which are insignificant in themselves loom large; with their backs against the wall, the Bentwoods are finally driven to look for consolation with each other. (Kirkus UK)

|

Add to wish list

|

Tell a friend