Wednesday, August 13, 2008

the post-birthday world











the post-birthday world. Lionel Shriver. Harper Collins. 2008



Reviewed by Cris Wilson




What would you choose? Passion and risk, with a handsome London East-End Snooker champion or security and domesticity, with a rumpled American think-tank intellectual? This relationship pageturner gives both options a go for Irina Galina. In one chapter she stays with popcorn-in-front-of-the-telly, Lawrence, and in the next chapter she goes on tour with Ramsey the snooker player, staying in 5 star hotels, eating scallops in saffron cream, and drinking till morning.

Irina is a children's book illustrator and it looks like she's going to throw her career away as she goes on tour for over a year with Ramsey. The reader is not sure Irina should choose to stay with Lawrence either. Why is he going to Russia for a month without her? Life does not always let us keep the cake in the post-birthday world. This is my pick for a summer beach read.

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