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Dark humor explores afterlife with biting wit.
"How the Dead Live" isn't your typical ghost story; it's for those who like their supernatural laced with acid satire. Will Self takes you on a bizarre journey through an afterlife full of as much, if not more, vibrancy and vulgarity as life itself. If you appreciate a narrative that challenges the norms with sharp humor, Lily Bloom's post-mortem adventures are sure to entertain and provoke thought.
17% off
36% off
28% off
32% off
ISBN: 9780140268652
Authors:
Will Self
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date of Publication: 2001-01-01
Format: Paperback
Related Topics:
Mythology,
Japanese Literature,
Asian Literature,
LGBTQ+,
Fantasy,
Magical Realism,
Literature,
Dystopia
Goodreads rating: 3.58
(rated by 2886 readers)
Description
In April 1988, 65-year-old Lily Bloom quickly succumbs to cancer in the Royal Ear Hospital. But after life there's death. Guided by an aborigine named Phar Lap Jones, she is transported by a Greek Cypriot minicab driver to the North London dead neighborhood of Dulston. There, accompanied by her dead son, Rude Boy, she's introduced to the 12-step Personally Dead meetings, and she watches over her living daughters--the cold, ambitious Charlotte, and her favorite, the heroin-addicted Natasha. Since Will Self's face, voice, and, notoriously, life story are familiar to many who will never pick up his fiction, there's always the risk of reading How the Dead Live as autobiography. In which case, he's clearly based Lily on his New York-born Jewish mother, and he's wittily retooled large chunks of his own much-publicized addictions, transmuting himself into the beautiful and glamorously doomed Natasha. But Lily is feisty and articulate, with a complex history spanning two continents, two husbands, and a constantly re-created personality--a great literary creation. Self's sympathetic account of Lily's decline into her morphine-laden deathbed is deeply affecting, and his long-term obsession with London provides us with the utterly convincing Dulston. His treatment of modern Jewish life in North London (rather than New York) will find its fans and
Condition guide
Book Condition Guide
Books in Like New Condition
This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Very Good Condition
This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Good Condition
We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Well Read Condition
This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
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Dark humor explores afterlife with biting wit.
"How the Dead Live" isn't your typical ghost story; it's for those who like their supernatural laced with acid satire. Will Self takes you on a bizarre journey through an afterlife full of as much, if not more, vibrancy and vulgarity as life itself. If you appreciate a narrative that challenges the norms with sharp humor, Lily Bloom's post-mortem adventures are sure to entertain and provoke thought.
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