Description
In The Illusion of Separateness, award-winning author Simon Van Booy tells the haunting and luminous story of how one man's act of mercy on a World War II battlefield changes the lives of six strangers across time and place. From wartime Britain and Nazi-occupied France, to modern-day Los Angeles, the characters of this gripping novel - inspired by true events - include a child on the brink of starvation, a blind museum curator looking for love, a German infantryman, and a humble caretaker at a retirement home in Santa Monica. Whether they are pursued by old age, shame, disease, or regret, these incandescent characters remain unaware of their connection until seemingly random acts of selflessness lift a veil to reveal the vital parts they play in each other's lives.
A harrowing story of how one man's act of mercy during WW2 changes the lives of a group of strangers, and how they each eventually discover the astonishing truth of their connection
About the Author
Simon Van Booy was born in London and grew up in rural Wales and the suburbs of London. He is the author of two novels and two collections of short stories, including The Secret Lives of People in Love and Love Begins in Winter, which won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award in 2009. He is the editor of three philosophy books and has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, and the BBC. His work has been translated into fifteen languages. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.
Reviews
'A delicate, complex, moving novel, one to withstand - demand even - an instant second reading.'
* Daily Telegraph *
'The elegance of Van Booy's evocative prose has led to comparisons with F. Scott Fitzgerald; it's some claim but one this little gem of a book completely justifies.'
* Daily Mail *'Van Booy writes with muted, unsentimental elegance about the impulses that bind us together.'
* Sunday Times *'Simon Van Booy's reputation can only grow... There's a crispness to [his] writing... It is the beginnings of poetry...
it carries you with it effortlessly.'
'There is a sustaining pleasure in wondering how the strands of the story will tie together.'
* Guardian *Book Information
ISBN 9781780743943
Author Simon Van Booy
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oneworld Publications
Publisher Oneworld Publications
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 16mm
