The dryly precocious, soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old hero of this
engagingly offbeat debut novel, Oliver Tate lives in the seaside
town of Swansea, Wales. At once a self-styled social scientist, a
spy in the baffling adult world surrounding him, and a budding,
hormone-driven emotional explorer, Oliver is stealthily (and
perhaps a bit more nervously than he'd ever admit) nosing his way
forward through the murky and uniquely perilous waters of
adolescence. His objectives? Uncovering the secrets behind his
parents' teetering marriage, unraveling the mystery that is his
alluring and equally quirky classmate Jordana Bevan, and
understanding where he fits in among the pansexuals, Zoroastrians,
and other mystifying, fascinating beings in his orbit.
"It's in my interests to know about my parents' mental problems,"
he reasons. Thus, when he discovers that his affable dad is quietly
struggling with depression, Oliver marshals all the daytime-TV
pop-psychology wisdom at his command-not to mention his formidable,
uninhibited powers of imagination-in order to put things right
again. But a covert expedition into the mysterious territory of
middle-aged malaise is bound to be tricky business for a teenager
with more to learn about the agonies and ecstasies of life than a
pocket thesaurus and his "worldly" school chum Chips can teach him.
Ready or not, however, Oliver is about to get a crash course. His
awkwardly torrid and tender relationship with Jordana is hurtling
at the speed of teenage passion toward the inevitable magic moment
. . . and whatever lies beyond. And his boy-detective exploits have
set him on a collision course with the New Age old flame who's
resurfaced in his mother's life to lead her into temptation with
lessons in surfing, self-defense . . . and maybe seduction.
Struggling to buoy his parents' wedded bliss, deep-six his own
virginity, and sound the depths of heartache, happiness, and the
business of being human, what's a lad to do? Poised precariously on
the cusp of innocence and experience, yesterday's daydreams and
tomorrow's decisions, Oliver Tate aims to damn the torpedoes and
take the plunge.
"From the Hardcover edition."
General
Imprint: |
Random House Trade Paperbacks
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2011 |
First published: |
May 2011 |
Authors: |
Joe Dunthorne
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 138 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
320 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8129-7839-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
Promotions
|
LSN: |
0-8129-7839-0 |
Barcode: |
9780812978391 |
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