WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY STEWART LEE

'Should The Bloater be republished? Oh God, absolutely, it's fantastic' Stewart Lee

Min works at the BBC as an audio engineer, where she is struggling to replicate the sound of a heartbeat. At home, other matters of the heart are making a mockery of life as Min knows it.

Min has found herself the object of her lodger's affection. An internationally renowned opera singer she's nicknamed 'The Bloater', Min is disgusted and attracted to him in equal measure. But with a husband so invisible that she accidentally turns the lights off on him even when he's still in the room, Min can't quite bring herself to silence The Bloater's overtures.

Vain, materialistic, yet surprisingly tender, The Bloater is a sparklingly ironic comedy of manners for all flirtatious gossips who love to hate and hate to love.

PRAISE FOR THE BLOATER

'A wonderfully unromantic romantic comedy' Daily Telegraph

'Uncommonly good' Guardian

'It is the perfect aperitif, makes you feel warm and careless and much, much happier' The Times

About the Author
Rosemary Tonks (1928-2014) was a colourful figure in the London literary scene during the 1960s. She published two poetry collections, Notes on Cafes and Bedrooms and Iliad of Broken Sentences, and six novels, from Opium Fogs to The Halt During the Chase. Tonks wrote for the Observer, The Times, New York Review of Books, Listener, New Statesman and Encounter, and presented poetry programmes for the BBC.

Reviews
The Bloater delights us by its wit, relish, and new-minted metaphors * Daily Telegraph *
Brittle, spry, spiky, amusing, a comedy of love... an original and distinctive flavour * Sunday Times *
[Tonks'] novels are valuable curios...of their time. They read like a strange hybrid of Muriel Spark and Beryl Bainbridge with a dash of Joe Orton -- William Boyd * The Times *
What a charismatic writer Rosemary Tonks is. The Bloater is lively and witty with some brilliant metaphors and descriptions, and so atmospheric. I really enjoyed it -- Katy Wix
It is about flirtation as a method of self-organization, and a crush as a method of self-torture. All of The Bloater, however-every single sentence-is funny * New Yorker *



Book Information
ISBN 9781784877804
Author Rosemary Tonks
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Vintage Classics
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 127g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 11mm