Thursday, January 5, 2012

"The Infinities" by John Banville ****

> Orig. published 2009

> Irish author

> Audiobook

> Hermes, Zeus's messenger, his son, protector of travelers, accompanies the dead to the afterworld, is the narrator

>. Characters: Adam Sr. (dying father), Ursula (2nd wife), Adam Jr (son, come home for father's death), Hermes (narator, from Mt. Olympus), Petra (daughter, tiny)! Helen (Adam Jr.'s wife)

>. Ursula senses a presence

>. Title: The gods

>. Gods cannot experience death or love,

> LibraryThing Review: O those wacky Greek Gods! John Banville tells the tale of an Irish man who lays dying. His family gathers from near and afar. Wait a minute! The narrator is Hermes, messenger of the gods, son of Zeus, who narrates the tale. Good grief.....the gods or "infinities" are meddling! They meddle sexually and in other ways. Along the way the reader is witness to the final musings of the dying man as well. This is a unique novel. Banville manages also to address the differences between the infinities and humans in his usual eloquent manner. He is a lovely writer!

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