The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
It all hinges on one kiss. Whether Irina McGovern does or does not lean in to a particular pair of lips in London will determine whether she stays with the disciplined intellectual Lawrence, her partner of nearly ten years, or runs off with Ramsey, a hard-living snooker player.
Shriver's playful parallel-universe structure allows Irina's departing futures to unfold side-by-side under the influence of two drastically different men. Where Lawrence is supportive if repressed, Ramsey is volatile and spontaneous. These many contrasts have ramifications for Irina's relationships with friends and family, for her career as an illustrator and, most importantly, for the texture of her daily life.
For Shriver, love is about trade-offs. Both men in Irina's dual destinies are worthy of her affection but - like real people - marred by severe shortcomings. Yet often the very allure of our mates is what is wrong with them, a truth conveyed with all the subtlety, perceptiveness and drama that made We Need to Talk About Kevin an international bestseller.
Format: Paperback | 686 pages
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 13 x 4.1 | 556g
Publication Date: 01 Mar 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Imprint: Harper Perennial
Publication City/Country: Pymble, Sydney, Australia
Language: English
ISBN10: 0732285399
ISBN13: 9780732285395
Condition: Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Some minor damage to the cover including minor, but obvious, scuff marks and creasing, but no holes or tears. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing but no tearing. No pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.