Man About Town

(Paperback)

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Description

A poignant and satirical tale of one man's struggle to overcome the ghosts of his past and make sense of the present. In this, his third novel, acclaimed author Mark Merlis artfully intertwines the pathos of loneliness with a subtle critique of the American political machine Joel Lingeman has been set adrift. Until recently, life was 'relative contentedness'; working for Congress, frequenting the Hill club a little too frequently, cooking dinner for two every night and routine sex on Sundays. Now Sam, his lover of fifteen years, has left him for a stunning twenty-three year old and Joel cannot score a trick in the sleaziest pick-up joint in town. His revulsion for the politics around him has dissipated into mild amusement at the 'social Darwinists' ready to snatch the last cents from the hands of the old and ailing. And he is increasingly obsessed by the different lives he could have led. When a teenage fantasy reasserts itself, the blond haired demi-god his eye once fell upon modelling swimsuits in the back of an old magazine, Joel is overcome by a pervasive sense of loss and embarks on a quest to hunt down 'the Santa Fe boy'. Astutely observed and resonant with dark, sardonic undertones, Man About Town is an unforgettable novel about losing your way, your self-esteem and your security.

Reviews

EARLY PRAISE FOR Man About Town: 'Merlis reaches a level of thoughtful reflection which sings with poignancy.' Kirkus Reviews PRAISE FOR Pyrrhus: 'Exceptional ... the novel is expertly crafted, filled with surprises.' Peter Vansittart, Daily Telegraph 'A funky, freewheeling book.' The Times 'This is an original and enjoyably camp novel which exploits all the comic possibilities of its dual perspective.' Michael Arditti, The Independent PRAISE FOR American Studies: 'A first novel of startling maturity.' Daily Telegraph 'Mark Merlis proves himself an enviably accessible and assured new writer...If American Studies holds a mirror up to our culture of discrimination, it is also a very funny book, which surprises us with its sense of make-do hope.' Sunday Times 'Bitterly funny and deeply sad.' TLS 'An exceptional first novel' Paul Bailey 'A brilliant first novel ... Merlis's language is precise, discriminating and sensitive to irony.' Literary Review 'A wise, sexy, funny, level novel.' Brad Gooch

Author Bio

Mark Merlis grew up in Baltimore and attended Wesleyan and Brown Universities. He now works at the Library of Congress in Washington. His first novel, AMERICAN STUDIES won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction.