The Post-Birthday World
Description
"Complex and nervy, Shriver's clever meditation will intrigue anyone who has ever wondered how things might have turned out had they followed, or ignored, a life-changing impulse." -- People (Critic's Choice)
This dazzling novel from the Orange Prize-winning author of the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin takes a psychological and deeply human look at love and volition
Does the course of life hinge on a single kiss? Whether the American expatriate Irena McGovern does or doesn't lean into a certain pair of lips in London will determine whether she stays with her smart, disciplined, intellectual American partner Lawrence, or runs off with Ramsey--a wild, exuberant British snooker star the couple has known for years. Employing a parallel-universe structure, Shriver follows Irena's life as it unfolds under the influence of two drastically different men.
In a tour de force that, remarkably, has no villains, Shriver explores the implications, both large and small, of our choice of mate--a subject of timeless, universal fascination for both sexes.
Product Details
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About the Author
Reviews
"The Post-Birthday World is a...radical book."--The Scotsman
"Best novel of '07."--Entertainment Weekly
"Hugely entertaining...tackles the dueling human needs for passion and security with fierce, witty honesty."--Vogue
"Original and involving...convincing and beautifully told. Highly recommended."--Library Journal
"Shriver is very obviously a perceptive observer and clever chronicler of the human condition, in all its messy, unresolved glory."--The Nelson Mail (New Zealand)
"Witty, formidably bright author...Lively parts..."--Denver Rocky Mountain News
"Provocative...stunningly intense."--New York Daily News
"Shriver writes with elegance and a loaded intensity...she is a brilliant, witty storyteller and the book is utterly compelling."--Weekend Australian
"Compelling...ingenious...inspired."--The Evening Standard (London)
"Provocative....The Post-Birthday World is...as unflinching as they come."--New York Times
"This is a compulsive, clever, wise and witty novel."--The Times (London)
"Shriver's an extraordinary writer. Her perceptiveness of male-female relationships is unsettling, dangerous, familiar and voyeuristic. [The Post-Birthday World is] impossible to put down."--Daily Telegraph (Australia
"Shriver has a gift for creating real and complicated characters and putting them in less-than-simple situations...Highly engrossing novel..."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Ingenious....there is an impressive freshness in her treatment. The writing is intelligent, the characterisation thoughtful, the insights into love, sex and snooker sharp. After her acclaimed 2003 novel, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Shriver confirms her reputation as an original talent."--Mail on Sunday
"Shriver is a terrific, intelligent writer."--Bookseller (London)
"Daring [and] dazzling."--More Magazine
"Ingenious...delightful...[Shriver] has produced a novel that's equal parts entertainment and psychological massage."--Philadelphia Inquirer
"Shriver writes with much intelligence and wryness....The twofold nature of the plot...makes for enlightening reading."--Irish Times
"[A] tour de force in literary structure and mastery of language...engrossing."--Sunday Telegraph (Australia)
"...unique..."--South-East Advertiser (Australia)
"...hot..."--Time magazine
"...candid..."--Entertainment Weekly
"...fascinating..."--Christian Science Monitor
"...enjoyable..."--Sunday Times (London)
