Desolation
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Book Overview
Samuel Perlman, the elderly narrator of Yasmina Reza's deliriously dyspeptic novel, is surrounded by happy people. His wife Nancy is thrilled to be a member of the human race. His grown son is content crisscrossing the world to "sample exotic fruit with the savages." But Samuel himself refuses to be happy and his attempt to explain his refusal (half to his son and half to himself) generates an epic, blasphemous, and hilarious rant against the compromises of his life. Whether he is recounting his pal Lionel's heroic battle against impotence; lamenting the loss of his great love, the irresistible Marisa Botton; or pondering the possibility of a new love in the person of one Genevieve Abramowitz, the droll, irascible Perlman is one of the great talkers of contemporary fiction. And Desolation is one of the most dazzling performances ever written for one voice.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0375724729
ISBN13:9780375724725
Release Date:October 2003
Publisher:Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Length:144 Pages
Weight:0.35 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 5.0" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Shake God.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This was very good reading. Without trying to parse it one way or another-that would take a more intelligent mind-I'll simply state that it captivated, kept me curious and took me on the ride. Essentially a monologue, Desolation is like the last gasp of a man compelled to express himself as he turns into the void. He talks to his son, wife, friends, lovers in a confessional and passionate tone. Yasmina Reza is a remarkable writer. I particularly appreciate her ability to unify brutish-masculinity, transcendant poetics and harrowing visions of the beauty of small things. Left me with a vivid feel of Paris, French-ness, fatherhood, marriage and the function and futility of philosophy. Short and remarkably written.
Reflections of a Life!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Yasmina Reza is the author of the Tony Award winning play "Art" and it is evident from the beginning paragraph of this debut novel that this author is very familiar with the stage. Written in monologue form, the story gives voice to the ravings and complaints of an old man named Samuel Perlman. Samuel is complaining most of the time about his adult son, from whom he feels estranged. This is a son he feels is lazy, "rotting in leisure", and who has no ambition or passion in his life. In analyzing his son's misguided life, he starts to reflect upon his own life, his marriages, love affairs, and close friendships. Could it be he is terrified of his own daily monotony? Loneliness, solitude and Samuel's inability to escape his own unhappiness or daily routine are perhaps his greatest enemy? This is a brilliantly written first novel that is humorous funny, sad, heartbreaking, uplifting and disturbing all at the same time. You get a sense of just how fragile life is and how hard it is to escape one's final destination. One has to look beyond the complaints of Samuel to really know him. Excellent. Highly Recommended!Joe Hanssen
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