The Confabulist: A Novel
by Galloway, Steven
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good, Not Price Clipped
- ISBN 10
- 0307400859
- ISBN 13
- 9780307400857
- Seller
-
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Toronto, Ontario: Knopf Canada, 2014. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Signed by Author(s). Canadian First. Complete number line from 1 to 9; signed by Steven Galloway on the title page with no inscription; some edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition; dust jacket is protected by a mylar cover..
Synopsis
STEVEN GALLOWAY lives in British Columbia and teaches creative writing at the University of British Coumbia. He is the author of The Cellist of Sarajevo .
Reviews
On May 28 2014, CloggieDownunder said:
The Confabulist is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Steven Galloway. Martin Strauss admits upfront to being an unreliable narrator; after all, his doctor has just told him “Yours is a rare condition in which the damage that is being done to your brain does not destroy cognitive function but instead affects your brain’s ability to store and process memories. In response to this, your brain will invent new memories.” The reader does well to keep this in mind as Martin tells the tale of his encounter, as a young man, with the famous Harry Houdini, an encounter that ends with him causing Houdini’s death. Or does it? Martin tells us “I didn’t just kill Harry Houdini. I killed him twice.” Intriguing, to say the least. Galloway weaves many known facts and real people from Houdini’s life into his novel, bringing to life historical facts and anecdotes whilst constructing his mystery. The narration switches between Martin’s life in the present day, Martin’s life in 1926 and 1927, and details of incidents in Houdini’s life. Just as in any good magic show, the reader is left wondering what, precisely, is fact and what is illusion, no doubt exactly as Galloway intended. As well as enthralling the reader with accounts and explanations of Houdini’s tricks, Martin’s version of Houdini’s life includes the Secret Service, Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, the Russian secret police, Russian nobility, séances and spiritualists, kidnap and coercion, diaries in code, a Congress Judiciary Subcommittee, spies and thieves, murder and a mystery daughter. Martin’s mother offers advice long after she departs this world, providing a source of both wisdom and humour. Galloway explores the nature of truth: “…truth wasn’t easily identifiable. You could spot a lie, but the opposite of a lie wasn’t always the truth”; of parenthood: “Being a parent is a monumental thing. You shape reality for another person. You cannot be an illusion”; and of memory: “A memory isn’t a finished product, it’s a work in progress” and “What is a memory anyway, other than a ghost of something that’s been gone for a long time?” This novel is imaginative, intriguing and ultimately, very moving.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Hourglass Books (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 012676
- Title
- The Confabulist: A Novel
- Author
- Galloway, Steven
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good, Not Price Clipped
- Edition
- Canadian First
- ISBN 10
- 0307400859
- ISBN 13
- 9780307400857
- Publisher
- Knopf Canada
- Place of Publication
- Toronto, Ontario
- Date Published
- 2014
- Keywords
- Canadian Fiction
Terms of Sale
Hourglass Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Hourglass Books
Biblio member since 2018
Vancouver, British Columbia
About Hourglass Books
I list a wide range of materials from both modern firsts to antiquarian books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...