Darkmans by Nicola Barker

Darkmans by Nicola Barker

"Hilarious and erudite, spooky and unconventional, Darkmans is a dazzling achievement." -- Washington Post

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Darkmans is an exhilarating, extraordinary examination of the ways in which history can play jokes on us all...

If History is just a sick joke which keeps on repeating itself, then who exactly might be telling it, and why? Could it be John Scogin, Edward IV's infamous court jester, whose favorite pastime was to burn people alive--for a laugh? Or could it be Andrew Boarde, Henry VIII's physician, who kindly wrote John Scogin's biography? Or could it be a tiny Kurd called Gaffar whose days are blighted by an unspeakable terror of-uh-salad? Or a beautiful, bulimic harpy with ridiculously weak bones? Or a man who guards Beckley Woods with a Samurai sword and a pregnant terrier?

Darkmans is a very modern book, set in Ashford [a ridiculously modern town], about two very old-fashioned subjects: love and jealousy. It's also a book about invasion, obsession, displacement and possession, about comedy, art, prescription drugs and chiropody. And the main character? The past, which creeps up on the present and whispers something quite dark--quite unspeakable--into its ear.

The third of Nicola Barker's narratives of the Thames Gateway, Darkmans is an epic novel of startling originality.

Barker, Nicola: - Nicola Barker is the author of a dozen novels, including The Yips (longlisted for the Man Booker Prize), Darkmans (shortlisted for the Booker and the Ondaatje Prize and winner of the Hawthornden Prize), Clear (longlisted for the Booker), and Wide Open (winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award), and three story collections, including Love Your Enemies (winner of the PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award). Two of her stories, Dual Balls and Symbiosis, have been adapted for British television, and the former was shortlisted for a BAFTA. Barker was named on Granta's Best of Young British Novelists list in 2003, and her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She lives in London.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780061575211
ISBN 10	0061575216
Title	Darkmans
Author	Nicola Barker
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Year published	2007-11-27
Number of pages	848
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.