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Product Description
Review
The first great book of the decade GQ A stunner, an unnerving portrait of a man stripped of civilization's defences New Yorker A writer almost uniquely in tune with modern life ... Ferris's flashes of brilliance are many Evening Standard Original, affecting. An almost unbearable love story, between remissions of intense connection and the human inevitability of parting, between the haven of marriage and all that lies beyond Observer At once riveting, horrifying and deeply sad. Fiction with the force of an avalanche, snowballing unstoppably San Francisco Chronicle Hugely readable, engaging, original. What an imagination - and what a memorable conceit Literary Review As hard to pin down as its hero, yet as readable as The Corrections Guardian Immensely readable, a grand American novel New Statesman Seizes readers by the lapels with a story that feels serious and mysterious ... He has teased ordinary circumstances into something extraordinary, which is exactly what we want our fiction writers to do Economist Ferris writes hauntingly on the fragility of our minds and on the compulsions that drive us, despite our best intentions Vogue Brave and masterful. A writer of the first order Boston Globe An accomplished and daring work Los Angeles Times
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
He was going to lose the house and everything in it.
The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he would
lose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday.
Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigiousManhattan
He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking.
THE UNNAMED is a dazzling novel about a marriage and a family and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away.
The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he would
lose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday.
Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigious
He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking.
THE UNNAMED is a dazzling novel about a marriage and a family and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
What would we do if...,
By
This review is from: The Unnamed (Hardcover)
A mysterious illness takes over the life of Tim Farnsworth, a successful New York lawyer. Inexplicably, for no apparent reason, he needs to... walk. Walk, walk, walk. For miles and miles. Without stopping. No matter what. A comfortable life taken for granted, a lovely, devout wife, a rebellious but deep-down sweet teenage daughter, a beautiful house in the suburbs, the trust and respect of his working associates, all is at stake for the unnamed condition which is disrupting Tim's and everyone's life and baffling doctors.This is a disquieting novel. Indeed, a most unusual subject. I can relate to the feelings of frustration reflected in some reviews, it IS a frustrating book to some degree and quite depressing. I think however that frustration and powerlessness are exactly what the writer wants to convey. Some desolate, terrifying condition that would force anyone to face life when "something" beyond control takes over, and come to terms with "it". I have the British print of this book. Some of the comments & praises by major newspapers utilise the adjective "funny" among others. Well, I think there is absolutely nothing "funny" about this book. If some situations border the ridiculous, it is because they befit the circumstances and the narrative. Nothing to smile about. On the other hand, there is definitely something to weep for. I think the author did a brilliant job conveying the tenderness and sense of desperation of his characters. The inner fights, the sense of abandonment, even some more hopeful, more uplifting situations, it is all described beautifully, the narrative... walks flawlessly, in a contorted path that eventually comes to an epilogue. Getting to the last page of the book was a relief I must admit, but it has been, in my opinion, a true page-turner. I would definitely recommend this book. Well done to the author.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
*sigh*,
By
This review is from: The Unnamed (Hardcover)
I read this novel because of an amazing recommendation in Paste Magazine. To call it 'laudatory' would be minimizing the review by a huge margin. As a writer who craves the exemplary in other writers' offerings, I immediately (and gleefully) exclaimed "I'm in!"Having just finished the book...I'm exhausted. It's harrowing in its intensity...but Mr. Ferris manages this intensity almost peripherally. To be honest, I'd reached a point about 175 pages in where I wasn't sure that this wasn't going to turn out to be an abysmal failure, and I was going to have to go back to the Paste review and try to reconcile my experiences with those of the journalist. But somewhere along the way, the author managed to effect something substantial in me, and maybe what was most surprising was that this result wasn't achieved in the way I'd anticipated; it was as if it blindsided me. I love a great command of language. (Something Mr. Ferris has.) I love deftness of touch, I love a sense of scope, I love the intimate combined with the universal, I love a strong, confident voice telling the story...I love a sense of 'transport' being accomplished. And he manages all these to varying degrees. But there were moments when I doubted how he was doing what he was doing. When I doubted the sudden shift in tone. And I admittedly doubted his ability to get to the end in such a way that could have warranted such ebullience as "Here we have the first great novel of the new decade, and one of the best of this young century." Now, I have to say that I am not aligned with the universal accolades surrounding 'The Unnamed'. It was, in its own way, a powerfully devastating, powerfully sad novel, ably rendered by a clearly very talented hand. But while I'm not sure that it couldn't have been more of what I'd hoped it would be, had a different approach been taken by Mr. Ferris, clearly he wanted to tell this uniquely tender tale exactly as he did, and succeeded beyond the abilities of most fiction writers out there. I may not have been overwhelmed by 'The Unnamed', but there certainly were moments when I nodded my head in admiration, if not awe. And in closing, this: I can't believe they felt the title was a winner. It never would have been on my long list, never mind a short one. My choice? 'Going Now'.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A walk on the sad side,
By
This review is from: The Unnamed (Hardcover)
The Unnamed is one of those unusual books that keeps you reading because of its strange premise: a successful New York lawyer who has a condition whereby he must suddenly, uncontrollably walk. And walk. And walk. To the point of exhaustion. Sometimes for days. He has a wife and daughter, so the family coping with his condition is central to the story. In the end, this is very much a love story, but it's a long and interesting walk to get there.
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