Shroud

Banville, John

ISBN 10: 0375411305 / ISBN 13: 9780375411304

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, New York, 2003

Uncorrected Proof of the US Edition. Ships same or next business day. Book has some edge wear, light bumps on bottom corners, light creases on front cover near spine, covers are slightly faded near head edge. Pages are clean and tight. ; Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall; 257 pages; Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 455

Synopsis:

Axel Vander is an old man, in ill health, recently widowed, a scholar renowned for both his unquestionable authority and the ferocity and violence that often mark his conduct. He is known to be Belgian by birth, to have had a privileged upbringing, to have made a perilous escape from World War II–torn Europe—his blind eye and
dead leg are indelible reminders of that time. But Vander is also a master liar (“I lied to lie”), his true identity shrouded under countless layers of intricately connected falsehoods. Now a young woman he doesn’t know, and whom he has dubbed “Miss Nemesis,” has threatened to expose the most fundamental and damaging of these lies. Vander has agreed to travel from California to meet her in Italy—in Turin, city of the most mysterious shroud—believing that he will have no difficulty rendering her harmless.

But he is wrong. This woman—at once mad and brilliant, generous and demanding—will be the catalyst for Vander’s reluctant journey through his past toward the truths he has hidden, and toward others even he will be shocked to discover.

In Shroud—as in all of his acclaimed previous novels—John Banville gives us an emotionally resonant tale, exceptionally rich in language and image, dazzling in its narrative invention. It is a work of uncommon power.

About the Author: John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His first book, Long Lankin, was published in 1970. His other books include Nightspawn, Birchwood, The Newton Letter, Mefisto, and The Book of Evidence (which was shortlisted for the 1989 Booker Prize). He lives in Dublin.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Shroud
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, New York
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Softcover
Condition: Very Good+
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: First Edition; First Printing.