What You Want

Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book What You Want by Constantine Phipps, Quercus Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Constantine Phipps ISBN: 9781848664364
Publisher: Quercus Publishing Publication: April 30, 2014
Imprint: RiverRun Language: English
Author: Constantine Phipps
ISBN: 9781848664364
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Publication: April 30, 2014
Imprint: RiverRun
Language: English

Patrick is still in love with his separated wife. Returning with their son after a trip to an amusement park, he begs, one last time, to reconcile with her. When she refuses, he is driven to thoughtless desperation: a bottle of sleeping pills, a bottle of whisky. And in his dying dream, he revisits that theme park of childish desire.

There he finds the landscape - still garish and indulgent - has evolved. The attractions are religion, money and sex. The characters - costumed and acted - are transformed into Jefferson, Xunzi, Aristotle. And their purpose is to instruct Patrick in the pursuit of happiness throughout human history.

But Patrick can only answer with his own story. He remembers falling in love with Louise. Recalls the enlightenment of their youth and the banality of their family life. He tells of their marriage, how it came under strain after the birth of his son; how he cheated; the unravelling of all his joy. Yet still his love persists.

Beginning with the first line of Dante's Divine Comedy and taking in Disneyworld, the Declaration of Independence and the canon of philosophy in its stride, What You Want is a literary feat: a novel written entirely in verse, depicting life in all its ordinariness. It gives voice to a new Everyman and brings forth an unparallelled modern epic.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Patrick is still in love with his separated wife. Returning with their son after a trip to an amusement park, he begs, one last time, to reconcile with her. When she refuses, he is driven to thoughtless desperation: a bottle of sleeping pills, a bottle of whisky. And in his dying dream, he revisits that theme park of childish desire.

There he finds the landscape - still garish and indulgent - has evolved. The attractions are religion, money and sex. The characters - costumed and acted - are transformed into Jefferson, Xunzi, Aristotle. And their purpose is to instruct Patrick in the pursuit of happiness throughout human history.

But Patrick can only answer with his own story. He remembers falling in love with Louise. Recalls the enlightenment of their youth and the banality of their family life. He tells of their marriage, how it came under strain after the birth of his son; how he cheated; the unravelling of all his joy. Yet still his love persists.

Beginning with the first line of Dante's Divine Comedy and taking in Disneyworld, the Declaration of Independence and the canon of philosophy in its stride, What You Want is a literary feat: a novel written entirely in verse, depicting life in all its ordinariness. It gives voice to a new Everyman and brings forth an unparallelled modern epic.

More books from Quercus Publishing

Cover of the book Murderous Contagion by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Tangled Lives by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Politics in Minutes by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book History without the Boring Bits by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Boulle's Jewels by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book The Thirteenth Coffin by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book The Big Questions: Physics by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book The Book Club by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Spitting Devil by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Blood Relative by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Sultan of the Moon and Stars by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book The Golden Hour by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book The Remains of An Altar by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book Hullo Russia, Goodbye England by Constantine Phipps
Cover of the book The First Fingerprint by Constantine Phipps
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy