<DIV><DIV><P>Jerry Delfont leads an aimless life in Calcutta, struggling in vain against his writer's block, or 'dead hand,' and flitting around the edges of a half-hearted romance. Then he receives a mysterious letter asking for his help. The story it tells is disturbing: A dead boy found on the floor of a cheap hotel, a seemingly innocent man in flight and fearing for reputation as well as his life. </P><P>Before long, Delfont finds himself lured into the company of the letter's author, the wealthy and charming Merrill Unger, and is intrigued enough to pursue both the mystery and the woman. A devotee of the goddess Kali, Unger introduces Delfont to a strange underworld where tantric sex and religious fervor lead to obsession, philanthropy and exploitation walk hand in hand, and, unless he can act in time, violence against the most vulnerable in society goes unnoticed and unpunished. </P><P>An atmospheric and masterful thriller from "the most gifted, the most prodigal writer of his generation" (Jonathan Raban). </P></DIV></DIV>
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Editorial Reviews
From Bookmarks Magazine
Theroux's latest novel galvanized critics, who found very little middle ground. Detractors pointed to a rickety plot, inexplicably abandoned subplots, flat secondary characters, repetitious imagery, narrative inconsistencies, and tediously long-winded descriptions of Tantric sex. Admirers, by contrast, praised Theroux's richly drawn main characters, graceful prose, and macabre humor. Reviewers also had mixed reactions to his insertion of himself as a character into the story--comic, clever, or clumsy? All agreed, however, that the novel's best feature was its vivid evocation of India, "brought brilliantly, blazingly to life" (Washington Post). A Dead Hand, it would seem, is classic Theroux: loyal fans will enjoy it, but those unfamiliar with his writing should start somewhere else.
Review
"...the real pleasure is Theroux’s talent for rendering place and his irreverent comments on everything from the British royals to pop culture, aging, and yes, the venerable Mother Teresa."
-- Publishers Weekly
-- Publishers Weekly
"A novel of extremes—rationality and obsession, humanitarianism and selfishness, ecstasy and heartlessness."
-- Kirkus Reviews
-- Kirkus Reviews
"...an abundance of richly drawn characters...Theroux has used his travel writer's eye and ear and his novelist's imagination to craft a tense, disturbing, funny and horrifying book around all of them."
-- San Francisco Chronicle
-- San Francisco Chronicle
"Theroux brings his best gifts as a travel writer to one of his walk-on-the-dark-side fables of masked identity and psychosexual quest…[His] writing is as feline and agile as ever, and his calibration of clue and revelation is nicely meted out…this story will lure you in, from its whodunit setup to its swift, unexpectedly visionary close."
-- The Seattle Times
-- The Seattle Times
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More About the Author
Paul Theroux's highly acclaimed novels include Blinding Light, Hotel Honolulu, My Other Life, Kowloon Tong, and The Mosquito Coast. His renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Dark Star Safari, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, and The Happy Isles of Oceania. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
A Dead Hand is Paul Theroux's latest novel, and here he dabbles into the mystery genre, with mixed results. His vivid descriptive language enlivens the story, but the novel didn't seem to me to have enough of the conventions of a fine mystery to bring satisfaction. Most of the clues seemed obvious, and the progression of the story was often too predictable. For readers who thrive on feeling one is actually in an unfamiliar place that comes to life through fine language, A Dead Hand will bring some reading pleasure. For mystery lovers, A Dead Hand provides more appetizer than entrée.
Rating: Two-star (Mildly Recommended)
Rating: Two-star (Mildly Recommended)
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Ripple
Format:Hardcover
Set in India, familiar territory for Theroux, 'A Dead Hand` tells the story of a travel writer suffering from writer's block (aka `dead hand') until a chance letter from an American ex-pat, the mysterious Mrs Unger, relating a story of a mystery of a dead body in a hotel leads him to release his creativity in very unexpected ways. The story is more about obsession and infatuation than it is about the mystery itself as the narrator falls under Mrs Unger's Tantric charms. But does she have more to hide than she's letting on?
In the hands of Theroux, a new novel set in the India that he knows so well, what could possibly go wrong? Disappointingly, quite a bit on the evidence of this book.
For a start, both the narrator and the object of his infatuation, Mrs Unger, are far from likeable characters. The writer (Jerry Delfont, although he is hardly, if at all, referred to by his name in the book) comes over as a self-pitying man (and when the narrator has few redeeming qualities it's hart to empathise with him) and he largely fails to convey any of the charms that make the Mrs Unger so appealing to him. Also inexplicably for someone who knows India so well, Theroux fails to invoke much of the mystery of the place.
A further problem I had with the book was that in relating the Tantric activities of Mrs Unger there is clearly a lot of sexual metaphor(the sessions take place in Mrs Unger's `vault') - which is fine although it is repetitious (as is much the first two parts of the book), but he then goes on to make it explicit - `And being inside the vault was like being inside her body'. It seems that he is giving his readers no credit for picking up on his non-too subtle hints. We really can pick up on the hints, Mr Theroux. If there's one thing worse than a writer who tells instead of shows, it's one who shows and then tells in case he hasn't shown well enough.
The subject of writing is clearly something Theroux knows very well, although given his prolific nature one suspects the pains of writer's block are less familiar to him. In the second part of the book, the narrator is introduced to another writer visiting India - a certain Paul Theroux which is kind of amusing but it also comes across as a bit self-congratulating - although this Mr Theroux is talked about in less than complimentary terms. It's amusing but adds little to the story.
The mystery of the murder is only really dealt with in the final part of the book (in the first two parts, Delfont is too busy being obsessed to bother too much with sleuthing so if you were wanting a mystery book, this probably isn't it) - and things pick up a lot here. The writer finds the dismembered hand of the victim - ie a dead hand. And if you hadn't made the connection with that and the writers `dead hand' or writer's block - again it is explicitly spelt out for you.
Of course, there are some lovely Theroux touches as well - and the Indian characters are without fail more interesting than the American characters in the book. But it's a long, long way from his best work.
In the hands of Theroux, a new novel set in the India that he knows so well, what could possibly go wrong? Disappointingly, quite a bit on the evidence of this book.
For a start, both the narrator and the object of his infatuation, Mrs Unger, are far from likeable characters. The writer (Jerry Delfont, although he is hardly, if at all, referred to by his name in the book) comes over as a self-pitying man (and when the narrator has few redeeming qualities it's hart to empathise with him) and he largely fails to convey any of the charms that make the Mrs Unger so appealing to him. Also inexplicably for someone who knows India so well, Theroux fails to invoke much of the mystery of the place.
A further problem I had with the book was that in relating the Tantric activities of Mrs Unger there is clearly a lot of sexual metaphor(the sessions take place in Mrs Unger's `vault') - which is fine although it is repetitious (as is much the first two parts of the book), but he then goes on to make it explicit - `And being inside the vault was like being inside her body'. It seems that he is giving his readers no credit for picking up on his non-too subtle hints. We really can pick up on the hints, Mr Theroux. If there's one thing worse than a writer who tells instead of shows, it's one who shows and then tells in case he hasn't shown well enough.
The subject of writing is clearly something Theroux knows very well, although given his prolific nature one suspects the pains of writer's block are less familiar to him. In the second part of the book, the narrator is introduced to another writer visiting India - a certain Paul Theroux which is kind of amusing but it also comes across as a bit self-congratulating - although this Mr Theroux is talked about in less than complimentary terms. It's amusing but adds little to the story.
The mystery of the murder is only really dealt with in the final part of the book (in the first two parts, Delfont is too busy being obsessed to bother too much with sleuthing so if you were wanting a mystery book, this probably isn't it) - and things pick up a lot here. The writer finds the dismembered hand of the victim - ie a dead hand. And if you hadn't made the connection with that and the writers `dead hand' or writer's block - again it is explicitly spelt out for you.
Of course, there are some lovely Theroux touches as well - and the Indian characters are without fail more interesting than the American characters in the book. But it's a long, long way from his best work.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Find a do-gooder and you'll see at bottom there's something wrong with his life."
January 24, 2010
Format:Hardcover
The ennui of a travel writer in Calcutta is the catalyst for a strange tale of obsession, betrayal and exploitation. Jerry Delfont has come to a moment of reckoning in his career as he considers his "dead hand", writer's block, admitting he has been "pretending to be a writer when I was only indulging myself as a tourist". Salvation arrives in the form of a letter from a wealthy woman, Merrill Unger, who appeals to Delfont to help her solve the mystery of a dead child, to shed light on an outrageous story told by her son's friend, Rajat. Delfont reads the letter, "amused by its presumption", but, with few demands on his time, he agrees to meet Mrs. Unger, who is far more formidable in person than he has imagined. A philanthropist who decries the sainted Mother Theresa for false humility, Mrs. Unger quietly runs an orphanage and is involved with many humanitarian works besides the business that has brought her to Calcutta.
Contrary to his assumptions, Mrs. Unger is devastatingly beautiful, powerful in a way he has never encountered before in a relationship. At this precarious time in the writer's life, the attention of this woman is a balm to the soul of a man doubting his viability in the world. Slowly introduced to Mrs. Unger's environment, which includes her devotion to the goddess Kali, Delfont falls into an unexpected but welcome state, impatiently anticipating the next contretemps with the American philanthropist he has begun to view as a visionary, a saintly, complicated woman who introduces him to the ecstasy of tantric sex. Delhunt nearly forgets his mission to learn more about the dead child in the hotel room in his urgency to be near Mrs. Unger.
Theroux's Calcutta teems with humanity, the deprived and the desperate, a rigid class system and the scars of poverty: "India has a market economy... there are no suitors, only customers." Mrs. Unger seems an extraordinary person to the once-cynical writer, who is daily more entranced by her exotic seduction. But, as the circumstances around the child's dead body fall into place, Delhunt's faith in human nature is challenged, India exposed in all its moral ambiguities. Theroux throws in an extra twist when his protagonist is introduced to author Paul Theroux, also seeking information on the mysterious Mrs. Unger, a curious conceit in a place where nothing is what it seems. As Mrs. Unger honors the goddess Kali, so does Delhunt worship at the altar of obsession, slow to wake from his hedonistic haze and a reality he cannot ignore. Luan Gaines/2010.
Contrary to his assumptions, Mrs. Unger is devastatingly beautiful, powerful in a way he has never encountered before in a relationship. At this precarious time in the writer's life, the attention of this woman is a balm to the soul of a man doubting his viability in the world. Slowly introduced to Mrs. Unger's environment, which includes her devotion to the goddess Kali, Delfont falls into an unexpected but welcome state, impatiently anticipating the next contretemps with the American philanthropist he has begun to view as a visionary, a saintly, complicated woman who introduces him to the ecstasy of tantric sex. Delhunt nearly forgets his mission to learn more about the dead child in the hotel room in his urgency to be near Mrs. Unger.
Theroux's Calcutta teems with humanity, the deprived and the desperate, a rigid class system and the scars of poverty: "India has a market economy... there are no suitors, only customers." Mrs. Unger seems an extraordinary person to the once-cynical writer, who is daily more entranced by her exotic seduction. But, as the circumstances around the child's dead body fall into place, Delhunt's faith in human nature is challenged, India exposed in all its moral ambiguities. Theroux throws in an extra twist when his protagonist is introduced to author Paul Theroux, also seeking information on the mysterious Mrs. Unger, a curious conceit in a place where nothing is what it seems. As Mrs. Unger honors the goddess Kali, so does Delhunt worship at the altar of obsession, slow to wake from his hedonistic haze and a reality he cannot ignore. Luan Gaines/2010.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
REPETITIVE AND BORING
Firstly Paul Theroux is one of my favorite writers, especially the non-fiction and travel accounts. That being said, I found this book/novel/story monotonous and not his best work. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joseph H. Race
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Dead Head
This is not the purer Theroux. He looks like needing another film success like The Mosquito Coast and he just keeps describing a part for Angelina Jolie - Mrs Unger. Read more
Published 16 months ago by AlvarezR
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kali sutra
I really loved this book, especially the femme fatale Mrs. Unger, the shadowy quality, the tantra. Some characters are flat, the narrator does get waylaid by his obsession--but it... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Loren E. Clive
1.0 out of 5 stars
Too condescending
I like reading international fiction - so I picked up this book from the local library after reading intriguing reviews by the local newspaper. Read more
Published 21 months ago by KolkataRay
1.0 out of 5 stars
Cringeworthy
The short version: I think it's an awful piece of work. There is barely a plot; there isn't a single sympathetic character; there is a hasty, anticlimactic ending; the portrayal of... Read more
Published 22 months ago by N. Bagchi
3.0 out of 5 stars
A fairly good and quick read
I enjoyed this book somewhat but felt it was a little too simplified in the details of the focus of the story. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Sops
1.0 out of 5 stars
GACK
Maundering, repetitive, self-indulgent, mawkish drivel. And this is the recorded unabridged version where there is at least the opportunity for the reader to add interesting... Read more
Published on May 6, 2011 by dedrellys
4.0 out of 5 stars
What is it really about?
Who could be better suited than Paul Theroux to write about a 60-something journalist doing some mid- to late-life soul searching? Read more
Published on April 11, 2011 by Dr. Lawrence J. Wilt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Theroux Hit
Jerry Delfont is a travel writer. He finds himself at loose ends in Calcutta, making speeches at various locations for the American Embassy, and trying to fight off "dead hand",... Read more
Published on November 28, 2010 by Sandra Kirkland
1.0 out of 5 stars
Anti Catholic Slams Mother Theresa
I agree with all the others giving this novel a low rating. But I also want to warn those who love Mother Theresa and your Catholic faith not to waste your time on this book.
Published on November 17, 2010 by Thomas Gauthier
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