Nerve Damage: A Novel - Hardcover

Abrahams, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061137979 ISBN 13: 9780061137976

Publisher: William Morrow, 2007

Synopsis

Sometimes the dead live on in your dreams . . . at least that's true for Roy Valois. His wife, Delia, died fifteen years earlier while working for a private think tank and he has never forgotten her. Roy is a well-known sculptor in the art world. His newest piece, a magnificent creation he calls Delia, has just been finished, a sign that he's found a little closure at last.

Then Roy gets some news of the grimmest kind. It's the kind of news that forces thoughts in unexpected directions, such as the contents of one's obituary. Roy and his lawyer, a close friend, find themselves wondering whether Roy's obituary will mention a big goal he scored in college hockey. Roy's friend suggests that they could probably find out. With some help, they hack into the morgue files of the New York Times. There's no mention of the goal, but something else about his obituary bothers Roy. According to the New York Times, his wife was working for the United Nations when she died—not the think tank.

At first, Roy thinks it's a simple mistake, but when a conversation with the writer of his obituary fails to clear things up, he suspects something more. The deeper he digs, the more confusing his wife's past becomes. Delia's former colleagues deny ever knowing her, the building that housed the think tank has supposedly served as the offices for another organization for decades, and Roy can't find any records of its existence. Who was Delia? Who did she work for? How did she really die? Did she really die? With time running out, a desperate Roy won't stop until he knows the truth about the woman he can't stop loving.

About this title

About the Author:

Peter Abrahams is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five books, including the Edgar Award-winning Reality Check, Bullet Point, and the Echo Falls series for middle graders. Writing as Spencer Quinn, he is also the author of the Chet and Bernie series—Dog on It, Thereby Hangs a Tail, and To Fetch a Thief. He and his wife live in Massachusetts with their dog, Audrey.

From Booklist:

When sculptor Paul Valois learns that he has only months to live, his thoughts turn more frequently to Delia, his late, beloved wife. While undergoing an experimental treatment for mesothelioma, he discovers that Delia's death--and life--may have been different than he believed. Debilitated by disease and chemotherapy, he sets out to learn the truth. Abrahams' faithful readers may think he's revisiting the premise of 2005's Oblivion, but the character of Valois makes this a wholly different story. He's a tough, former college hockey player, a vigorous man who approaches his lethal disease as another opponent to defeat. In fact, Valois is almost vain about his strength and fitness and perplexed by anything that could diminish him so quickly. But he also observes the world around him with the vision and sensibilities of an artist. Abrahams' succinct prose effectively conveys these seemingly contradictory traits while generating empathy for Valois and his quest. The denouementseems a bit strained, but there's more than enough substance here to keep readers of literary thrillers engrossed. Thomas Gaughan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0061137979
• ISBN 13: 9780061137976
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320