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)
INTRODUCTION BY JONATHAN FRANZEN
Otto and Sophie Bentwood live childless in a renovated Brooklyn brownstone. The complete works of Goethe line their bookshelf, their stainless steel kitchen is newly installed, and their Mercedes is parked outside. After Sophie is bitten on the hand while trying to feed a half-starved neighbourhood cat, a series of small and ominous disasters begin to plague their lives, revealing the faultlines and fractures in a marriage - and a society - wrenching itself apart.
* A scorching portrait of a 1960s New York marriage which opens out into a brilliant examination of the paradoxes of civilisation.
* A classic of American literature from a writer championed and brought back into print by many contemporary greats of American lit - Jonathan Franzen, David Foster Wallace, Andrea Barrett etc.
? The book and the author that inspired Jonathan Franzen to write again.
* A Paperback Original
* From the author of the memoir, Borrowed Finery, one of the NY Times Best Books of 2001 (only 9 chosen in total!)
* Published alongside The Widow?s Children, a novel which closely mirrors the events in Borrowed Finery.
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