A Cure For Suicide
by Ball, Jesse
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On Jun 28, 2015, CloggieDownunder said
“Time passed. After some number of days, one particular day arrived, and in the midst of that day, it was midday. The sun was shining so brightly overhead it seemed that every blade of grass could be made out, each from the others. It was a sort of harmony – nothing could be hidden, nothing at all beneath the sky”. A Cure For Suicide is the fifth novel by prize-winning American author, Jesse Ball. It begins with a nameless man (the claimant) who is living in a house in a village (Gentlest Village) where he is taught the basic activities of daily living by a doctor/guide (the examiner). The claimant is told he almost died, and is now being healed. The Process of Villages is the treatment he will undergo, the cure for suicide. Set somewhere far into the future, or in a parallel universe, Ball’s world, and certainly many of the character names, have a slightly Scandinavian feel to it (perhaps not surprising, given his Icelandic wife). If the reader can get past the first (somewhat bizarre) two thirds of the novel, then the discussion between the petitioner and the interlocutor forms an explanation of how the nameless man came to be going through the Process of Villages. While the lack of quotation marks for speech can be irritating, it is generally not a barrier to understanding who is speaking, except during the discussion with the interlocutor, when conversations reported at third or fourth remove create quite complicated sentences. Ball’s style is simple and stark, but his descriptive prose is, nonetheless, evocative: “She sat at a desk with her back to him, writing long into the night as she always did. The light from the fixture in that room was shabby. It fell very bitterly over the room, and some of the light from a lamp in the street contested with it. The effect was: as she sat at her desk she looked like a figure in a woodcut. And she sat as still” and “The manager, a yellowed, rancid sort of man, the type who seldom clip his nails, who believes they need be clipped less often than you and I do….”are two examples. Ball describes a world where depression and heartbreak appear to be eliminated by amnesiac treatments: what led to the nameless man’s therapy is a moving tale, and perhaps Ball is leading the reader to consider the ethics of medicalising grief. The conclusion will leave the reader wondering about the sincerity (or otherwise) of a key character. An interesting read. 3.5 stars
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A Cure for Suicide: A Novel
by Ball, Jesse
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- 1st Edition 1st Printing
- Published
- 2015
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781101870129
- Quantity Available
- 1
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Woodlawn, Illinois, USA
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NZ$11.59
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New York, New York, U.S.A.: Pantheon Books, 2015. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Stated First Edition With The Number Line Indicating A First Printing. The Book Is Bound Within Boards With Blue Paper Over One Quarter Dark Blue Cloth. Silver Lettering On The Spine. The… Read more about this item Item Price
NZ$11.59
A Cure for Suicide: A Novel [SIGNED COPY, FIRST PRINTING]
by Ball, Jesse
- Condition
- New
- Jacket Condition
- New
- Edition
- 1st Edition 1st Printing
- Published
- 2015
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781101870129
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- 1
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San Francisco, California, USA
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NZ$71.21
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Pantheon, 2015. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. New/New. New in new dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page (signature and date only). 1st edition, 1st printing, complete number line. New, unread copy with dust jacket in protective mylar sleeve. 'Books & Books Autographed' sticker. By the Berlin Prize-, Creative Capital Award-, Illinois Author of… Read more about this item Item Price
NZ$71.21
A Cure for Suicide: A Novel
by Ball, Jesse
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
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- Near Fine
- Published
- 2015
- Binding
- Sewn binding
- ISBN
- 9781101870129
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- 1
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Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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NZ$19.05
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Some very small edge creases and tiny tears on the front free end paper and the first few pages at the beginning before the novel proper begins. No text is obscured. Other than these tears, and a tiny red remainder dot on the bottom edge, this copy is in fine overall condition. Item Price
NZ$19.05
A Cure for Suicide
by Jesse Ball
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- Used - Good
- Published
- 2015
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781101870129
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$10.41
A Cure for Suicide
by Jesse Ball
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2015
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781101870129
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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NZ$10.41
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$10.41
A Cure for Suicide: A Novel
by Ball, Jesse
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- Used - Fine
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- 1st Edition
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- 2015
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- ISBN
- 9781101870129
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Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
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New York: Pantheon Books, 2015. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Printing. On the Granta list of the best young American novelists, 2017. Nominated for the National Book Award. Author of THE CURFEW.
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A Cure for Suicide
by Jesse Ball
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- Used - Acceptable
- Published
- 2016
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781101872130
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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NZ$11.57
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2016. Paperback. Acceptable. Disclaimer:A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$11.57
A Cure for Suicide
by Jesse Ball
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- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2016
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- 9781101872130
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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NZ$11.57
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2016. Paperback. Very Good. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$11.57
A Cure for Suicide
by Jesse Ball
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- Used - Good
- Published
- 2016
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781101872130
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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NZ$11.57
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2016. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$11.57
A Cure for Suicide: A Novel
by Ball, Jesse
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- Published
- 7/21/2015
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Vinemont, Alabama, USA
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NZ$12.02
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Pantheon, 7/21/2015. Hardcover. Good. Hardback with dust jacket in good condition. Some highlighting in the book. Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide
by Ball, Jesse
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Dunfermline, Fife, GBR
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Text Publishing Company. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
NZ$12.60
A CURE FOR SUICIDE
by Ball, Jesse
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- First Edition
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- 2015
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- Hardcover; First Printing
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Commack, New York, USA
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NY: Pantheon. F/F. 2015. First Edition. Hardcover; First Printing. First edition fine unread in fine protected DJ. Review copy with press release. . Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide
by Ball, Jesse
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- 9781101870129
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Reno, Nevada, USA
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Text Publishing Company. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
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CURE FOR SUICIDE
by BALL,JESSE
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- 9781101872130
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NEW YORK, New York, USA
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pb. New. Brand New. Ships from an indie bookstore in NYC. Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide
by Ball, Jesse
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- 9781101870129
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Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
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Text Publishing Company. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide : A Novel
by Ball, Jesse
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- ISBN
- 9781101872130
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Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide : A Novel
by Ball, Jesse
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- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9781101872130
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Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Ball, Jesse
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- Like New
- Published
- 2016-06-14
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- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781101872130
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Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
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NZ$23.56
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Vintage, 2016-06-14. Paperback. Like New. Item Price
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A Cure for Suicide: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Ball, Jesse
- Condition
- New
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- 2016-06-14
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- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781101872130
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Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
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Vintage, 2016-06-14. Paperback. New. Item Price
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