The Conversion

(Paperback)

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Description

Russell Todaro, a young American translator, moves to Paris to take stock of his life only to further lose himself in the surprising twists that fate has in store. One night, two men waving guns and knives break and enter his Paris hotel room, terrorising Russell and his much older companion, a famous American poet named Edward Cannon. The intruders, not finding what they seemingly expected, leave without further incident but the baffling, traumatic events overwhelm Cannon who dies in his sleep later that night. Now Russell is left to ponder the attack's meaning.

Reviews

'I read the book a long time ago, but one thing has stayed with me: the way a trauma in childhood - though the memory is so blurred and disjointed - can affect us deeply without our even realizing it' - KATE WINSLET, O, The Oprah Magazine on The Waterline'The novel has much to enchant, not only how wonderful it must be to swim like a god, but also an ability to address real intimacy in honest and vigorous ways. Sex, in particular, is written about with rare beauty in this novel, and Joseph Olshan enters some tender and uncharted territory to powerful effect.' - The Independent on Sunday on Nightswimmer'Joseph Olshan writes so vivaciously that his seventh novel ticks faster than a stopwatch. He loves his characters to bits, which is why they are so memorable. Humor. Feeling. Perfect Pitch. Olshan has it all.' - Financial Times on In Clara's Hands

Author Bio

Joseph Olshan is the award-winning author of eight novels. His first novel was Clara's Heart, which went on to be made into a film starring Whoppi Goldberg. His other novels include Nightswimmer and In Clara's Hands. In addition he has written extensively for newspapers and magazines and for several years was a professor of Creative Writing at New York University. He spends most of the year in Vermont.