Description
A breath-taking, original and compelling novel based on the private life of JFK, from the BAFTA award-winning creator of Bodyguard and Line of Duty and co-creator of the graphic novel Sleeper
'A novel of our times: shameless and prurient, detached and salacious' Observer
John Fitzgerald Kennedy is the 35th President of the United States, and a serial womaniser. An American man for the modern age: Kennedy is handsome, charming, a beaming paragon of worldly virtue. But beneath the slick veneer of a confident statesman he harbours a vice that will threaten his family, his fortune and even his country.
Empathetic, darkly witty and deft, Jed Mercurio's American Adulterer shines a novelist's spotlight on the world's most powerful, and corrupting institution: the American Presidency.
A breathtaking, original and compelling novel based on the private life of JFK, one of the most controversial subjects in the history of American politics.
About the Author
Jed Mercurio trained at the University of Birmingham Medical School and practised as a junior doctor before becoming a full-time writer in 1994. As a writer, producer and director his TV credits include the highly successful shows Cardiac Arrest, Bodies, Line of Duty and Bodyguard, as well as adaptions of Frankenstein and Lady Chatterley's Lover. He has been described by the Telegraph as 'the most successful writer working in television today' and by the Independent as 'the master of British Drama'. Mercurio is the author of three novels. His first novel, Bodies, was chosen as one of the five best debuts of 2002 by the Guardian. In 2007 Mercurio published his second novel, Ascent, the story of a fictional Soviet fighter pilot and cosmonaut set against the background of the Korean War and the Space Race. Ascent was included in the Guardian's list of '1000 Novels Everyone Must Read' and a graphic novelization, illustrated by Wesley Robins, was published in 2011. Mercurio's most recent novel, Amercian Adulterer, a fictionalization of President John F. Kennedy's infidelities, was published in 2009.
Reviews
American Adulterer is a novel of our times: shameless and prurient, detached and salacious -- Sean O'Hagan * The Observer *
Compelling. Glacially elegant prose... depicts a man who, for all his power, remains imprisoned by desire -- Adrian Turpin * Financial Times *
A gripping and thoughtful novel * Sunday Times *
Remarkable... The president's wit, courtesy, peacemaking vision and cool judgement are all here, vividly re-created, as well as courage in the face of near disabling infirmity and pain....gripping and thoughtful -- Hugo Barnacle * The Sunday Times *
He writes in brilliantly clinical prose...His real success is here is to highlight how JFK moved politics into a culture of celebrity...Mercurio finds a truth in JFK through fiction -- Ben East * Metro *
Book Information
ISBN 9780099515876
Author Jed Mercurio
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 255g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm