Judge Savage: A Novel - Softcover

Parks, Tim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559707402 ISBN 13: 9781559707404

Publisher: Arcade Publishing, 2004

Synopsis

Recently promoted to Crown Court judge, middle-aged Daniel Savage decides that it is finally time to settle down, give up philandering, renew relationships with his family, and live an exemplary life in light of his new position, but a young woman from his past possesses a secret that could ruin his career and marriage. Reprint.

About this title

About the Author

Tim Parks is the author of more than twenty novels and works of nonfiction, including the best-selling Italian Neighbors and An Italian Education. His novels include Europa which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.  His essays have appeared in the The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, for which he blogs. Tim Park is also a renowned translator. He lives in Italy.

From Publishers Weekly

Using the same captivating narrative technique as in 1999's highly acclaimed Europa, Parks relates the dizzying tale of a man in crisis. The veteran British author employs a modified version of interior monologue to capture the crash and roar of the life of Daniel Savage, a judge in England's Crown Court circuit. Savage is a man in free fall. His turbulent 20-year marriage is again on the rocks, this time because of his brief affair with a 20-year-old Korean woman who served on one of his juries. Sarah, Savage's 18-year-old daughter, has decided to skip college and join a Christian sect. His best friend, Martin, has again fallen into the throes of a crippling depression, and Savage tries, but predictably fails, to beat back the amorous advances of Martin's wife. Parks, author of 16 works of fiction and nonfiction, sets all this up through Savage's frantic, at times hilarious narration. Adding to the dynamic is Savage's own perception of himself; he's a colored man of "obscurely mixed origin" who is wracked by an odd form of guilt because he never seems to pay the price for his personal and professional indiscretions. The somewhat scattered plot picks up pace when Savage is beaten into a coma by the husband and brothers of his Korean mistress. But that incident even works in his favor when the press, ignorant of the actual facts, makes him a hero. As will happen, however, Savage's luck runs out, and when it does, it goes all at once. Parks allows his plot to become a little long-winded at times, particularly during the novel's many court scenes. Yet his inventive prose, incisive social commentary and bizarre sense of scene and character reaffirm his standing as one of England's better stylists.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1559707402
• ISBN 13: 9781559707404
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 456