The Forms of Water - Couverture souple

Barrett, Andrea

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0007114915 ISBN 13 : 9780007114917

Editeur : Flamingo, 2002

Synopsis

Set in New England, ‘The Forms of Water’ is a superb exploration of the complexities of family life, grief and the ties that continue to bind us to the past.

At the age of eighty, Brendan Auberon, a former monk, is now confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home. As a last wish, he is desperate to catch a final glimpse of the two hundred acres of woodland on which once stood his parental home. Half a century ago, the owners of the land were evicted from their homes and the land was flooded to create a reservoir which would provide water for the big city.

‘The Forms of Water’ is the story of what happens when Brendan convinces his staid nephew Henry to hijack the nursing home van to make this ancestral visit. What begins as a joke becomes infinitely more complex as the family roles begin to rearrange themselves.

A rich and absorbing look at the complexities of family life, at grief and at the ties that continue to bind us to the past.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Andrea Barrett lives in Rochester, NY. She is the author of five novels, and two collections of stories, ‘Ship Fever’, which won the National Book Award in 1996, and ‘Servants of the Map’.

À propos de la quatrième de couverture

"Tenderly and movingly written. In the Auberon family, Andrea Barrett has created flesh and blood, fallible, loveable, and most of all, memorable protagonists. An intelligent, thought-provoking and sensitive story."
'Time Out'

Henry Auberon visits his uncle Brendan in his nursing home merely hoping to improve his chances of an inheritance. His sister Wiloma, is determined to bring Brendan home with her so that she can claim responsibility for his soul. Brendan, dying of cancer, is plotting a very different escape. He wants to make a last visit to the one part of the family estate remaining; and he convinces Henry to hijack the nursing home van to make this ancestral visit. But what begins as something of a joke, soon forces this flawed family to confront the truth about their past and come to terms with themselves and each other.

"Barrett's exploration of the fragile bonds between us and our need for redemption is quietly but powerfully moving. This is a fine and distinctive novel"
'Sunday Times'

"Barrett poses subtle, important questions about what families can and cannot offer today. Her enquiry into the subjects of middle-class identity and ageing stand out for their rarity in contemporary fiction. Be ready, warns Barrett, to accommodate fellow passengers – especially those oddballs you grew up with."
'TLS'

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Flamingo
• Date d'édition: 2002
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0007114915
• ISBN 13: 9780007114917
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 304
• Coordonnées du fabricant: HarperCollins Publishers, Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irlande