The Man Who Couldn't Stop Thinking: A Novel

Victor Andrews cannot decide whether thinking is a good thing or not. He has managed to escape it till now, too occupied with his career and the pursuit of his romantic and carnal ambitions. A heart operation and an inheritance suddenly change all that. He has time on his hands and new ambitions to invent for himself. If he starts thinking, will it take him forwards or backwards? he wonders. Will it lead him out of the confused labyrinth of his life and give it some new meaning before it’s too late? Or push him to join the company of the crazy people who chase endlessly the tails of their obsessions? His newly-acquired African grey parrot has, for the moment, one word alone to say about these and indeed all other questions on Victor’s mind: “Bollocks.” But Victor intends to change all that once he has conceived the parrot’s educational program. In the meantime, he finds himself increasingly attached to the great Emerson’s truth: “Life consists in what a man is thinking all day.” Yes, perhaps Victor too should start thinking and see what happens to his life? This black comedy recounts his adventure ...