Short description
The new novel from the Orange Prize winning author of We Need to Talk About KevinIt all hinges on one kiss. Whether Irina McGovern does or does not lean in to a specific pair of lips in London will determine whether she stays with her disciplined, intellectual partner Lawrence or runs off with Ramsey, a hard-living snooker player. Using a parallel universe structure, we follow Irina's life as it unfolds under the influence of two drastically different men. Lawrence is Irina's partner of nearly ten years. Ramsey is the ex-husband of a sometime friend, a once-a-year acquaintance to whom Irina has never paid a great deal of attention. Where Lawrence is supportive and devoted; Ramsey is flighty and spontaneous. Lawrence is emotionally withdrawn to the point of repression; Ramsey is fiery and passionate, but volatile. The contrasts between the two men have ramifications for Irina's relationships with friends and family, for her career as an illustrator, and more importantly, for the texture of her daily life.This love is about trade-offs. Both men in Irina's dual future are worthy of her affection but deeply flawed. The answer is that there is no perfect answer: one of the things that draws us to our mates is what is wrong with them. The Post-Birthday World is written with all the subtlety, perceptiveness and drama that made We Need to Talk About Kevin an international bestseller.
Long description
The new novel from the Orange Prize winning author of We Need to Talk About KevinIt all hinges on one kiss. Whether Irina McGovern does or does not lean in to a specific pair of lips in London will determine whether she stays with her disciplined, intellectual partner Lawrence or runs off with Ramsey, a hard-living snooker player. Using a parallel universe structure, we follow Irina's life as it unfolds under the influence of two drastically different men. Lawrence is Irina's partner of nearly ten years. Ramsey is the ex-husband of a sometime friend, a once-a-year acquaintance to whom Irina has never paid a great deal of attention. Where Lawrence is supportive and devoted; Ramsey is flighty and spontaneous. Lawrence is emotionally withdrawn to the point of repression; Ramsey is fiery and passionate, but volatile. The contrasts between the two men have ramifications for Irina's relationships with friends and family, for her career as an illustrator, and more importantly, for the texture of her daily life.This love is about trade-offs. Both men in Irina's dual future are worthy of her affection but deeply flawed. The answer is that there is no perfect answer: one of the things that draws us to our mates is what is wrong with them. The Post-Birthday World is written with all the subtlety, perceptiveness and drama that made We Need to Talk About Kevin an international bestseller.
Review
Praise for 'The Post-Birthday World': 'Those of us who rave about the dash and dare of Lionel Shriver's fiction can rejoice that 'The Post-Birthday World', a 'Sliding Doors'-style joint tale of alternative loves and lives, will garner the attention she always deserves.' Independent 'There is an impressive freshness in her treatment. The writing is intelligent, the characterisation thoughtful, the insights into love, sex and snooker sharp...Shriver confirms her reputation as an original talent'. Mail on Sunday 'The Post-Birthday World is exceptionally well written and the characters fully formed.' Irish Sunday Independent 'Shriver gives us another passionate novel!Like Sliding Doors, the tale splits into two, following the dramatic turns of each choice. Brilliant.' Cosmopolitan 'It's another domestic drama with a compelling twist!the power struggle between the sexes is spot-on. Shriver chalks her narrative cue with relish and, once the story gets underway, it's hard to take your eyes off the green baize.' Tatler The Post-Birthday World' is Lionel Shriver's forthcoming work about the dilemmas of love -- a must if you were gripped by 'We Need To Talk About Kevin'.' Harper's Bazaar Praise for Lionel Shriver and her writing: 'This is an important book!here is a fierce challenge of a novel that forces the reader to confront assumptions about love and parenting, about how and why we apportion blame, about crime and punishment, forgiveness and redemption.' Independent 'One of the most striking works of fiction to be published this year!Desperate Housewives as written by Euripides!a powerful, gripping and original meditation on evil.' New Statesman 'A fearless novel.' Daily Telegraph 'Harrowing, tense and thought-provoking.' Daily Mail 'Terribly honest!she strikes a tone of compelling intimacy. This is heavy material, but Ms Shriver tackles it with admirable panache, turning a sensational story into a troubling one.' Wall Street Journal 'A fascinating, painful meditation on motherhood-as-regret.' Time Out 'Her [Eva's] fierceness and honesty sustain the narrative; this is an impressive novel.' New York Times 'Impossible to put down!brutally honest!Who, in the end, needs to talk about Kevin? Perhaps we all do.' Boston Globe
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