| The Book of Chameleons Contributor(s): Agualusa, Jose Eduardo (Author), Hahn, Daniel (Translator) |
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ISBN: 1416573518 ISBN-13: 9781416573517 Publisher: Simon & Schuster OUR PRICE: $13.29 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 2008 Annotation: This unusual novel about the landscape of memory and its inconsistencies follows Felix Ventura as he trades in a curious commodity--he sells people different pasts. He can create entirely new pasts full of better memories and complete with new lineage or augment existing pasts as needed. Narrated by an exceptionally articulate and rather friendly lizard that lives on Felix's living-room wall, this richly detailed story explores how people can remember things that never happened--and with extraordinary vividness--even as they forget things that did in fact occur. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Thrillers - Crime |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 2007042119 |
| Physical Information: 0.5" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.60 lbs) 192 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Félix Ventura trades in an unusual commodity; he is a dealer in memories, clandestinely selling new pasts to people whose futures are secure and who lack only a good lineage to complete their lives. In this completely original murder mystery, where people are not who they seem and the briefest of connections leads to the forging of entirely new histories, a bookish albino, a beautiful woman, a mysterious foreigner, and a witty talking lizard come together to discover the truth of their lives. Set in Angola, Agualusa's tale darts from tormented past to dream-filled present with a lightness that belies the savage history of a country in which many have something to forget -- and to hide. A brilliant American debut by one of the most lauded writers in the Portuguese-speaking world, this is a beautifully written and always surprising tale of race, truth, and the transformative power of creativity. |
Contributor Bio(s): Agualusa, Jose Eduardo: - José Eduardo Agualusa was born in Huambo, Angola, in 1960. He has published seven novels, including Creole, which was awarded the Portuguese Grand Prize for Literature and is a bestseller in seven countries. The Book of Chameleons won The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2007. |