Quicksand
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3.7 • 17 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'Why should I let you write about me?' 'Because you'll inspire people. To count their blessings.'
Aldo Benjamin, relentlessly unlucky in every aspect of life, has always faced the future with despair and optimism in equal measure. His latest misfortune, though, may finally have brought him undone. There's still hope, but not for Aldo.
His mate Liam hasn't been doing much better – a failed writer with a rocky marriage and a dangerous job he never wanted – until he finds inspiration in Aldo's exponential disaster. What begins as an attempt to document these improbable but inevitable experiences becomes a profound exploration of fate, fear and friendship.
Wildly entertaining and acutely insightful, Quicksand is a subversive portrait of 21st-century existence in all its hypocrisy and absurdity, an exquisite interpretation of suffering and resilience, and a compelling story about the taking of risks and the making of art.
'A wonderful achievement from a writer whose words serve as a scalpel to reveal the absurd beneath the veneer of serious existence.' Russell Prize for Humour Writing
'The energy, the hairpin turns, the narrative crashes, the stomach churning ascents and trashed taboos: what a joy to surrender oneself to a writer of such prodigious talent.' Peter Carey, Booker Prize-winning author
'The funniest novel of the past year . . . Genuinely moving.' The Saturday Times (UK)
'Quicksand proves to be the cherry on the cake – a beguiling novel that confounds and astonishes in equal measure, often on the same page . . . Part Chuck Palahniuk, part David Foster Wallace . . . Quicksand has a thousand dazzling throwaway moments of brilliance . . . A tour de force.' Australian Book Review
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Steve Toltz’s 2008 debut, A Fraction of the Whole, nabbed a spot on the Man Booker Prize shortlist. Quicksand is more proof of the Sydney native’s brilliantly sharp and twisted mind. The novel revolves around two longtime friends—Liam Wilder and Aldo Benjamin—who are united by the spectacular failures of their lives. Aspiring writer Liam (a cop by day) is pinning all his hopes on turning ex-con Aldo’s life experiences and head-spinning wisdom into a literary masterpiece. As he follows his muse, we take a wildly entertaining ride full of cultural references, stylish writing and dark humour.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The second novel from Toltz (A Fraction of the Whole) is all about the eccentric and ambitious Aldo Benjamin. Set in Australia, Aldo's tragicomic story is told by his friend, policeman and failed writer Liam Wilder. Plagued by mountains of debt and dogged by a series of deaths, Aldo botches one suicide attempt, and the collateral damage leads to an accusation of attempted infanticide. Uncommonly unlucky, Aldo's bad fortune stretches back into his high school years when, as a virgin, he was falsely accused of rape. Later in life he is accused of murdering his girlfriend, and his digressive testimony at the subsequent trial occupies the second half of the book. Yet Aldo remains constantly buoyed by ideas for another business plan, another scheme, another way to die. Eventually Aldo finds himself crippled marooned on a magic beach, and it is there that he finally concocts the perfect business plan. Toltz channels a poet's delight in crafting the perfect phrase on every highly quotable page. In his epic lack of employment and sincere lust for life, Aldo Benjamin is quite a memorable character. By turns hilarious and hopeless, Toltz's novel is a tender portrait of a charming and talented loser.
