Voyage Along the Horizon: A Novel (Paperback)

~ Javier Marias (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Marías's second novel was written in the early '70s when he was 21, and it has all of the stylistic grace and wry invention that has put Marías on the Nobel shortlist. An unnamed narrator ruminates on the intentions of a man (variously called Holden Branshaw and Hordern Bragshawe) who decides not to publish a novel written by an unnamed author who died penniless pursuing the life of that novel's subject: Victor Arledge, an author who died a recluse at age 38. The plot is pure Borges; the elongated sentences reflect nested perspectives in a manner that recalls Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The bulk of the book is devoted to the reading aloud of the novel, titled Voyage Along the Horizon; it's set around 1900 and concerns a voyage of French and English writers, Arledge among them, to Antarctica headed by an American patrician and former steamboat captain named Kerrigan. The goal—a collaborative work based on their travels—gets derailed by a variety of stock fictive plot points. The reserved 19th-century diction is flawlessly translated throughout, and Marías's joy in folly is everywhere evident. (Apr.)
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Product Description

Voyage Along the Horizon revolves around an intrepid expedition: the eccentric, wealthy Captain Kerrigan, an attractive man with a shadowy past, organizes a trip to Antarctica for a select group of writers, artists, and scientists. Amid sudden kidnappings, torrid manuscripts, Edwardian spinsters, and lethal duels, this seafaring tale is also a narrative of psychology, obsession, the writer’s craft, and human nature, all of which Marías has wrapped up in an evocative, nostalgic novel that is both witty and dark. Fascinated by the question of uncertainty, Marías eschews the solution and prefers to revel in the narrative process itself, and asks the reader to consider the possibility that the truth as we know it isn’t nearly as interesting as its own shadow.

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's, Believer Books (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932416404
• ISBN-13: 978-1932416404
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #947,517 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read, March 20, 2008

By	Lady Lizard - See all my reviews

Spoiler warning.

I'm not sure how to write this. I'll just say that it was a fun read. Once I picked it up I found that I read the entire book in two short sittings. It's just so . . . weird. It's very interesting and odd. The entire book is a narrative but I never found out who the narrator was. Theres also this weird letter. Its a book within a book but its still pretty interesting. It gets dull at times, especially with the captain but I still liked it. The only thing that really bothered me about the book was it's refusal to resolve. I don't want to be too specific because that may ruin the story for you. Still, it's a fun read overall.