Mr Bones: Twenty Stories

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A sparkling and darkly humorous collection of short stories by bestselling novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux A family watches, horrified, as their patriarch transforms into the wise-cracking lead of an old-timey minstrel show. An art collector gleefully destroys his most valuable pieces. A young artist devotes himself to a wealthy, malicious gossip, knowing that it's just a matter of time before she turns on him. In this new collection of short stories, Paul Theroux explores the tenuous leadership of the elite and the surprising revenge of the overlooked. He shows us humanity possessed, consumed by its own desires, always with his carefully honed eye and the subtle idiosyncrasies that bring his characters to life.

Reviews

Plumbing the depths of eccentricity and violence swilling beneath the surface of ordinary American life, Theroux understands, often with devastating effect, how dramas both big and small can produce catastrophic and lasting psychological consequences * Guardian *
Skilful and unsettling * Independent *
Twenty delicious tales . . . from the off, this collection had me grinning. Scattered with gems infused with Theroux's international knowledge * Big Issue *
Quirky, unpredictable fun and pure literary entertainment * Sunday Sport *
As cool as Somerset Maugham . . . as observant, intuitive, wry, inventive and eloquent as Graham Greene * Sunday Times *
Theroux is fluent, witty and almost faultlessly able to deliver a satisfying story -- Melvyn Bragg
One of the most accomplished and worldly-wise writers of his generation * The Times *
Always a terrific teller of tales and conjurer of exotic locales, he writes lean prose that lopes along at a compelling pace * Sunday Times *
With its unsettling strangeness, precisely drawn characters and geographical sweep, Mr Bones is a psychologically complex, vastly enjoyable and nuanced collection by a writer in complete control of his art * Financial Times *
There's more than a whiff of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness about these tales, by turns savage, funny, unsettling * The Times *
Mr Bones is a series of characteristically dark and sharply focused snapshots from the world that Paul Theroux has observed - and invented * New York Times *
Suave and accomplished * Washington Times *
Mr Bones showcases the author's virtuoso storytelling abilities, as he tells stories of tricky situations, slippery personalities and unsettling motives * Seattle Times *

Author Bio

Paul Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts in 1941. He has written many works of fiction and travel writing, including The Last Train to Zona Verde, Dark Star Safari, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Elephanta Suite, A Dead Hand, The Tao of Travel and The Lower River. The Mosquito Coast and Dr Slaughter have both been made into successful films. Paul Theroux divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian islands. His most recent work is Deep South, which is published by Hamish Hamilton.