Fall
A Novel
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- $169.00
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- $169.00
Descripción editorial
“A riveting story [about] the intensity of young love and the intensity of self-hatred . . . Marvelous” (Elizabeth Strout).
St. Ebury, an elite Ottawa boarding school, might appear to an outsider like a place steeped in rules and traditions. But the animal instincts of the boys who reside there are only barely restrained. A handful of girls are also in attendance—among them, Fall, a beautiful and elusive figure who becomes the object of fascination for many of the male students, including Noel, a smart, intensely idiosyncratic young man. But Fall ends up dating his roommate, Julius, the charismatic son of the American ambassador, whom Noel also fixates upon. Amid a heady mix of hormones and delusional impulses, Noel gradually loses control of his obsessions.
Told from the very different perspectives of Julius and Noel, Fall is a psychologically acute and relentless literary thriller—“sensitive, honest and horrifying” (The Guardian).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A tense literary whodunit set in a prestigious Canadian boarding school, McAdam's second novel (after Some Great Thing) delivers suspense and cunning psychological insight. Chapters alternate between the recollections of Noel, a coldly intelligent loner, and the stream-of-consciousness of Julius, a handsome, popular athlete whose girlfriend, Fall, vanishes one day. Unstated but implicit is Fall's fate at the hands of one of the boys, but, as in many literary mysteries, the plot is secondary to the graceful prose and characterizations. The male characters are drawn with precision; Fall less so, as befits their objectification of her, though the relationship between Fall and Julius is depicted with a bittersweet charm. Julius's point of view is particularly well-done, conveying the inner turmoil of a lovestruck teenager. Noel's memories of their senior year, meanwhile, subtly reflect his emotional distance from others while suggesting a solution to the crime. The book is pleasingly paced and absorbing, and likely to appeal to fans of Arturo Perez-Reverte and Jess Walter.
