Thomas and Mary by Tim Parks
Somehow it seemed to him the only thing that would really solve the problem would be to return to the sea and find the old ring with their names and the wedding date engraved inside, in 22-carat gold, and put it on again and then the world would magically return to what it had been before.
In this darkly funny work, Parks offers a story that doesn’t shy away from the complexity of relationships, and from the ineffability, indeed, impossibility, of the unmade decision-- Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi * Independent *
Mordantly amusing, deeply sad novel… Plainly written, vivid portrait of a marriage… A cautionary tale for couples heedless of the care and kindness a good relationship requires, and a horror story for those who discover they are simply but irreparably mismatched. -- Rosemary Goring * The Herald *
A blackly comic study of a 30-year-old marriage. -- Arminta Wallace * Irish Times *
As effective an antidote to Valentine’s Day as you could find. -- Stephanie Cross * Daily Mail *
Restless, lightly mordant tale of lust and love lost. -- Jeffrey Burke * Mail on Sunday *
A subtle and painfully well-observed black comedy that will make some readers flinch with recognition. -- Phil Baker * The Sunday Times *
This forensic account of marital breakdown is breathtakingly honest… There are moments in Thomas and Mary…that will make anyone in a long-term relationship wince. -- Alice O’Keeffe * Guardian *
Parks’s observations of family life are warm and funny. -- Anthony Cummins * Prospect *
A serious and penetrating study, always drilling down to the fundamentals, of family, love and middle-aged ennui. -- Paul Genders * The Times Literary Supplement *
Witty and pleasantly asymmetric. * UK Press Syndication *
It’s a poignant portrait, like stained glass; a rich picture made up of all the small stories that make up a marriage, that make up a life. -- Natasha Tripney * Observer *
It’s a poignant portrait, like stained glass; a rich picture made up of all the small stories that make up a marriage, that make up a life. -- Natasha Tripney * Guardian *
Tim Parks is a writer with acute perception of human nature. -- Shelia Grant * Nudge *
Tim Parks, always sharp on domestic details… is good on the subtleties of office politics. And good on stormy passion, too. -- William Leith * Evening Standard *
Mordantly amusing, deeply sad novel… Plainly written, vivid portrait of a marriage… A cautionary tale for couples heedless of the care and kindness a good relationship requires, and a horror story for those who discover they are simply but irreparably mismatched. -- Rosemary Goring * The Herald *
A blackly comic study of a 30-year-old marriage. -- Arminta Wallace * Irish Times *
As effective an antidote to Valentine’s Day as you could find. -- Stephanie Cross * Daily Mail *
Restless, lightly mordant tale of lust and love lost. -- Jeffrey Burke * Mail on Sunday *
A subtle and painfully well-observed black comedy that will make some readers flinch with recognition. -- Phil Baker * The Sunday Times *
This forensic account of marital breakdown is breathtakingly honest… There are moments in Thomas and Mary…that will make anyone in a long-term relationship wince. -- Alice O’Keeffe * Guardian *
Parks’s observations of family life are warm and funny. -- Anthony Cummins * Prospect *
A serious and penetrating study, always drilling down to the fundamentals, of family, love and middle-aged ennui. -- Paul Genders * The Times Literary Supplement *
Witty and pleasantly asymmetric. * UK Press Syndication *
It’s a poignant portrait, like stained glass; a rich picture made up of all the small stories that make up a marriage, that make up a life. -- Natasha Tripney * Observer *
It’s a poignant portrait, like stained glass; a rich picture made up of all the small stories that make up a marriage, that make up a life. -- Natasha Tripney * Guardian *
Tim Parks is a writer with acute perception of human nature. -- Shelia Grant * Nudge *
Tim Parks, always sharp on domestic details… is good on the subtleties of office politics. And good on stormy passion, too. -- William Leith * Evening Standard *
Born in Manchester, Tim Parks grew up in London and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. He lives in Milan.
Parks is the acclaimed author of novels, non-fiction and essays, including Europa, A Season with Verona, Teach Us to Sit Still, Italian Ways and Italian Life. He has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and has won many awards for both his work in English and his translations from the Italian, which include works by Alberto Moravia, Italo Calvino, Roberto Calasso, Antonio Tabucchi and Niccolò Machiavelli.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781910701157 |
| ISBN 10 | 1910701157 |
| Title | Thomas and Mary |
| Author | Tim Parks |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2016-02-11 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |