Will has a good sex life with the woman he married. So why then is he
increasingly plagued by violent erotic fantasies that, were they to break out of
his imagination and into the real world, have the power to destroy not only his
family but his career? He's about to lose his grip when he attends a college
reunion and there discovers evidence of a past sexual betrayal, one serious
enough that it threatens to overpower the present, even as it offers a key to
Will's dangerous obsessions.
Hypnotic, beautifully written, this mesmerizing novel by "an extremely gifted
writer" (San Francisco Chronicle) explores the corrosive effect of evil–and how
painful psychological truths long buried within a family can corrupt the present
and, through courage and understanding, lead to healing and renewal. "Like Scheherezade in the grip of a fever dream, Kathryn Harrison . . . has written
one of those rare books, in language of unparalleled beauty, that affirm the
holiness of life," said Shirley Ann Grau, about Poison. And the same can
be said about Envy.
Envy was a disappointment after The Binding Chair. Call me middle-aged but there are just so many subjects that I find more interesting than other people's sexual fantasies. However, I can see that Envy would be of appeal to many. As always, we provide an excerpt so that you can browse the book for yourself and decide if it's right for you. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
The Washington Post
Writers and critics who complain of the shrinking audience for literary fiction argue -- validly -- that huge advances and advertising budgets for blockbusters reduce the resources left to promote serious novels. But the chances of good literary fiction finding an audience are also damaged when books such as Kathryn Harrison's Envy are published and passed off as worthy. Ten pages of Envy are enough to make you yearn for the juiciest trash novel you can find; 50 will have you dreaming of box-top recipes, road maps, computer instructions -- anything with a purpose.
Kirkus Reviews
Harrison's measured, matter-of-fact prose gives each perverse twist of her pulpish plot a nasty kick, taking readers into the heart of Will's deep sadness and out the other side. An unsparing examination of the turbulent depths beneath anunsuspecting hero's most unexceptionable-seeming fantasies, and a life patently too normal to be true.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Will's profession as an analyst seems too convenient - allowing Harrison to analyze her own novel through the voice of her main character - but this is a pardonable flaw in a book so juicy and intelligent.
Booklist - Donna Seaman
Harrison's dialogue is electrifying, the sophistication of her psychology is mesmerizing, and her characters, so astutely drawn, are bewitching.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Eddiebloue Bored to death By an author who is capable of writing literature, this "book" is a self-serving journey into the field of psychiatry and I, for one, have never had much use for psycho-babble.
Aside from that, it appears that the author is obsessed by... Read More
Can a book
have substantial sexual content
and still be considered
literary? When it's written by
Kathryn Harrison, some say the
answer is yes, others say not on
your life! She is the author of
7 novels and 5 non-fiction
books, including her memoirs,
The Kiss (1997), in which
she describes her four year
affair with her estranged father
which began when she was 20, and
The Mother Knot (2004),
in which she goes back to her
childhood with a dysfunctional
mother and grandmother, and
absent father. Her first novel,
Thicker Than Water, was
published in 1991 and
unsurprisingly (with the benefit
of hindsight) dealt with a
dysfunctional family and the
enduring psychic damage
inflicted on a child. The novels
that followed this...
This gripping and daring new novel sensitively explores the sacred nature of sex and love and invites us to confront our own prejudices and demons and embrace our own "inner light."
Hot on the trail of her much talked-about debut, Lip Service, M.J. Rose once again explores the dark corners of the human psyche in a riveting and erotic tale of love, lust...and betrayal.
These are 2 of the 4 readalike suggestions for Envy. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
The best book I've read in a very long time and the first ever Bo Caldwell novel for me. I'd never before read anything about missionaries to China,...
read more
With a poetic voice, Ratner plunges us into this personal trial of a royal family wrenched from their home in Phnon Penh, Cambodia, during the late...
read more
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story...
read more
Amazon cuts off 5200 affiliates in Minnesota(Jun 19 2013) With Minnesota's online sales tax law due to take effect July 1, Amazon has played a familiar card by cutting ties with 5,200 members of its Associates...
Full Story
BookBrowse
(337 words).
Publishers Weekly
of 5
by Eddiebloue
Write your own review!
