The unnamed : a novel

The Unnamed is a dazzling novel about a marriage, family, and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. He was going to lose the house and everything in it. The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he would lose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday. Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigious Manhattan law firm means that the work he does is important. And, even as his daughter Becka retreats behind her guitar, her dreadlocks and her puppy fat, he offers her every one of a father's honest lies about her being the most beautiful girl in the world. He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking. The Unnamed is a heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted — and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away.

joshua Ferris' Debut Novel Then We Came To The End Was Both Heralded By Critics And A New York Times Bestseller, And Marked The Arrival Of A Startlingly Talented Young Writer. With The Unnamed, Ferris Imagines The Collision Between One Man's Free Will And The Forces Of Nature That Are Bigger Than Any Of Us. Tim Farnsworth Walks. He Walks Out Of Meetings And Out Of Bed. He Walks In Sweltering Heat And Numbing Cold. He Will Walk Without Stopping Until He Falls Asleep, Wherever He Is. This Curious Affliction Has Baffled Medical Experts Around The Globe And Come Perilously Close To Ruining What Should Be A Happy Life. Tim Has A Loving Family, A Successful Law Career And A Beautiful Suburban Home, All Of Which He Maintains Spectacularly Well Until His Feet Start Moving Again. What Drives A Man To Stay In A Marriage, In A Job? What Forces Him Away? Is Love Or Conscience Enough To Overcome The Darker, Stronger Urges Of The Natural World? The Unnamed Is A Deeply Felt, Luminous Novel...

publishers Weekly

the Attorney Tim Farnsworth Seems To Have It All—a Perfect Wife, A Loving Daughter, Rewarding And Meaningful Work—but The Return Of A Mysterious Disorder Out Of The Red Shoes (at Any Time Of Day, Tim Is Compelled To Walk Until He Passes Out With Exhaustion) Threatens To Shatter Everything He Has Built. Ferris Delivers An Understated Reading That Is All The More Moving For Its Subtlety. His Voice Is Calm—but It's A Controlled Calm Suggestive Of The Farnsworth Family's Terror And Their Struggle To Assert Order Over The Increasing Anarchy. Ferris Commands Without Volume Or Theatrics And His Is A Sincere, Quiet, And Moving Performance. The Audio Features A Not-to-be-missed Interview With The Author, In Which He Analyzes His Writing Process And Offers His Own Take On The Novel. A Little, Brown/reagan Arthur Hardcover (reviews, Nov. 16). (jan.)

He was going to lose the house and everything in it.The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he wouldlose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday.Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigious Manhattan law firm means that the work he does is important. And, even as his daughter Becka retreats behind her guitar, her dreadlocks and her puppy fat, he offers her every one of a father's honest lies about her being the most beautiful girl in the world. He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking.THE UNNAMED is a dazzling novel about a marriage and a family and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away. He was going to lose the house and everything in it.The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he would lose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday.Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigious Manhattan law firm means that the work he does is important. And, even as his daughter Becka retreats behind her guitar, her dreadlocks and her puppy fat, he offers her every one of a father's honest lies about her being the most beautiful girl in the world. He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking.THE UNNAMED is a dazzling novel about a marriage and a family and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away. What drives a man to stay in a marriage, in a job? What forces him away? Is love or conscience enough to overcome the darker, stronger urges of the natural world? The Unnamed is a deeply felt, luminous novel about modern life, ancient yearnings, and the power of human understanding. During their 20-year marriage, Tim and Jane Farnsworth have savored the fruits of his labor as a high-powered lawyer: they live in a beautiful home, they travel on exotic vacations, they dont worry about money. Tim has battled a bizarre, inexplicable illness, but those episodes, while not exactly forgotten, have passed. Then it comes back, causing him to behave in a frighteningly new way, driving him out of his life and into a world and a self that he cant recognize and Jane is helpless to control. How far will he go to fight his bodys incomprehensible desires, and what will they both risk to find the way back to the people they love? A heartbreaking story of family and marriage, a meditation on the unseen forces of nature and desire, The Unnamed is a deeply felt, luminous novel about modern life, ancient yearnings, and the power of human connection. An important and individual work, a stage in the development of a significant talent Daily Telegraph He has teased ordinary circumstances into something extraordinary, which is exactly what we want our fiction writers to do Economist What an imagination - and what a memorable conceit ... This engaging and original novel confirms Ferris as a writer who, like his hero, is being taken - half voluntarily - on an unpredictable journey Literary Review Ferris writes hauntingly on the fragility of our minds and on the compulsions that drive us, despite our best intentions Vogue As a metaphor for any sort of addiction - particularly its impact on those around you - this is remarkable GQ Tim Farnsworth Is A Handsome, Healthy Man, Aging With The Grace Of A Matinee Idol. His Wife Jane Still Loves Him, And For All Its Quiet Trials, Their Marriage Is Still Stronger Than Most. Then One Day He Stands Up And Walks Out. And Keeps Walking. Joshua Ferris. A Reagan Arthur Book. Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, ageing with the grace of a matinee idol. He loves his work. He loves his family. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out on all of it. He cannot stop walking. Their wealthy lifestyle marred only by a two-time occurrence of a short-lived illness, Tim and Jane Farnsworth are devastated when the illness returns in ways that frighteningly alter Tim's behavior and test Jane's endurance