Seven Tales of Sex and Death [Paperback]

Patricia Duncker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2003

Following the success of her much-acclaimed fourth novel, The Deadly Space Between, Patricia Duncker's new book promises - and delivers - more in the same sinister vein. A collection of interwoven stories, Seven Tales of Sex and Death is a gripping, haunting read, with an edgy tone reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe at his most dazzling and thought-provoking. Its dark, disquieting images linger long after the book itself is finished.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'These tales are night-pieces... amoral, vindictive and unforgiving... The seven tales were written to disturb and provoke. I want my readers to revisit the cliches of sexuality and violence, to read them afresh - and to think again' Patricia Duncker --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Patricia Duncker is the author of three novels, Hallucinating Foucault (1996), James Miranda Barry (1999) and The Deadly Space Between (2002), and a collection of short fiction, Monsieur Shoushana's Lemon Trees (1997), all available from Picador. She has also published a collection of essays on writing and contemporary literature, Writing on the Wall (2002). She is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Non Basic Stock Line (March 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330419544
• ISBN-13: 978-0330419543
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 tales about sex or death, the rest?, August 10, 2004

By 

Sarakani (Harrow United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Tales of Sex and Death (Hardcover)

I found the first story and a story about horrifying evening entertainment based upon the creative sexual abuse quite gripping and underworld. There was also an interesting tale about people in France disappearing due to an unexplained disaster. These made the book shocking enough which is what the author probably wanted. The book had a lot of French affinity which would make it appealing to a francophile leaving aside sex and death.

But many of the other stories though interesting and provocative made you ask "so what?". One problem is that the author seems to try and project herself as a clever bilingual academic/scriptwriter which does not come across too well. Though scholarship/erudition when coming out through fiction is welcome, there was a flavour of immoral pretentiousness that made this book not worthy of keeping. It was a sort of "dark fiction, version lite". I gave this book away after finishing it.

I think I'll stick to Katherine Mansfield and some others for the moment as masters of the short story. The exploration of sexuality, male and female, clothes, objects in further detail could have helped on which the book could have been a lot stronger.