The Confabulist (Inscribed copy)
by Galloway, Steven
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0307400859
- ISBN 13
- 9780307400857
- Seller
-
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
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
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
- JWMah (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 71315
- Title
- The Confabulist (Inscribed copy)
- Author
- Galloway, Steven
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- 1st
- ISBN 10
- 0307400859
- ISBN 13
- 9780307400857
- Publisher
- Knopf Canada
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Date Published
- 2014
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾" - 9&f
- Keywords
- Harry Houdini Fiction Novels
- Bookseller catalogs
- Modern First Editions;
Terms of Sale
JWMah
Books and postage are presented in US dollars. Canadian dollars always accepted. We accept check or money order and PayPal. Postage is $11.99US for Expedited Parcel Post in Canada for the first book weighing up to 2 pounds; and US $6.00 for each additional book weighing up to 2 pounds. Please note that GST is charged on books and shipping for all Canadian orders. Shipping for heavy and oversize book will be quoted separately. Postage is $6.99 US, media mail for the first book the US weighing up to 2 pounds; $3.00 for each additional book for shipping by media mail to the US for books weighing up to 2 pounds. Books weighing more than 2 pounds, and priority shipping will be quoted. We are glad to quote delivery cost to international buyers. Books are carefully wrapped and shipped in corrugated cardboard cartons. Books are returnable for a full refund if the book is not as described. The book price only will be refunded for any other reason. Please notify JWMah in advance of any return within 7 days of receipt of the book before sending it back.
About the Seller
JWMah
About JWMah
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...