Suicide Casanova [Paperback]

Arthur Nersesian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

“Sick, depraved, and heartbreaking—in other words, a great read, a great book. Suicide Casanova is erotic noir and Nersesian’s hard-boiled prose comes at you like a jailhouse confession.”—Jonathan Ames, author of The Extra Man

Arthur Nersesian is the bestselling cult author of The Fuck-Up, Chinese Takeout, Manhattan Is a Loverboy and dogrun. The former managing editor of the Portable Lower East Side, he currently lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nersesian (Dogrun) starts this erotic thriller with a bang when rich, middle-aged lawyer Leslie Cauldwell accidentally strangles his wife during a bout of rough sex, but the novel degenerates into a long, labored account of Cauldwell's obsessive relationship with a porn star named Sky Pacifica. The protagonist's creepy intensity builds in the chapters immediately after the death (which takes place during his youth in New York City in the early '80s), particularly when he hooks up with a gorgeous dominatrix named Cecilia and the lovers concoct an extortion scheme to blackmail a libidinous judge. But the tight, tense narrative unravels in a hurry when Nersesian turns his attention to Cauldwell's relentless pursuit of Sky, and the story becomes downright listless when the author describes their brief but tumultuous midlife affair. Nersesian has some solid moments in which he nails the noir elements of his whacked-out story line, and his characters have more than enough erotic foibles and flaws for a gritty suspense story. But Cauldwell's twisted neediness devolves into a series of rants about sex, aging and the marketing of beauty in the world of pornography. The subplot in which he pretends to be a fashion photographer and stalks Sky and her daughter proves to be little more than a lurid tangent. Nersesian has developed a cult following based on the underground success of his previous books, but this flaccid, erratic effort is forgettable despite some promising characterizations and plot lines.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"...[S]leek, funny, and sometimes sickening...[A] paean to Times Square's squalid hardcore past." -- Memphis Flyer, Nov. 21-27, 2002

"Nersesian has written a tight, gripping erotic thriller..." -- Philadelphia City Paper, October 10-17, 2002

"The book has a nice rhythm, fast-forwarding and rewinding between the past and present." -- The Other Paper (Columbus, OH), Nov. 24, 2002

"[M]uch better than American Psycho . . . Suicide Casanova is very New York, perverse and filthy, funny and charming, and utterly compelling." -- Bookmunch.co.uk, May 2003 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Akashic Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888451661
• ISBN-13: 978-1888451665
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #974,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arthur Nersesian is the author of eight novels, including the best-selling The Fuck-Up (more than 100,000 copies sold), dogrun (MTV/Simon & Schuster), Manhattan Loverboy (Akashic), Suicide Casanova (Akashic), Chinese Takeout (HarperCollins), Unlubricated

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth a closer look, January 4, 2003

By 

Danny Stewart (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suicide Casanova (Hardcover)

Publisher's Weekly states that the author of this novel has a "cult following." I've never read a Nersesian novel before, and I'm definitely not of the cult follower element, but I thought this was a great novel. I nearly didn't buy the book because of the unfortunate way the publisher opted to cover the book. But, believe me, it's worth a closer examination. This is not a genre novel. It is beyond the psychosexual thriller label it was given. This it literature. This is a carefully written, closely observed, character study that pulled me in from the first page, through the finely wrought time shifts, and on to the satisfyingly redeeming end page. I will certainly read more by this author, and if that makes me a cult follower, sign me up. Congratulations on your creation of a great piece of literature, Mr. Nersesian.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful read, October 31, 2005

By 

booktyrant - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Suicide Casanova (Paperback)

This was the first arthur nersesian book i have ever read, and i was pleasantly suprised by the experience of reading this wonderful novel. It really puts you deep into the mind of Leslie Cauldwell, the proprietor of this book, and really makes you feel what he is feeling emotionally. Nersesian has a unique writing style all of his own, and really wrote this book well. I read this in two sittings, as it is very hard to put down once you get into it, i reccomend this book to everyone who is looking for something different with guts.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sick yes, but sharp and sometimes funny., January 20, 2005

By 

Annie C. Boyd (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suicide Casanova (Paperback)

Honestly, this book pairs well with the song, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom". And its amazing that while I was reading this book, that song hit the radio. Its a story about a man's journey after the bizzare, accidental death of his wife in which he strangles her during an S&M session. He now has alot of free time and just sits around and thinks about his past. One major aspect of his past being the relationship he had with a former porn star. Its a very sad, sick book. But its an amazing ride. I loved every page of it.