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Bowl of Fruit
Leon’s past is a labyrinth of truths, half-truths and untruths - not one story but many different stories at once, which Leon has been trying to put behind him. But ghost-writer Anna Tor knows much more about his history than he does, and when Leon reluctantly agrees to meet her, as they begin to trace together the two converging courses of their separate lives since their birth on the same September morning in 1973, the devastating secrets of the past are revealed one by one to bind them ever closer together.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2015
445 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
Panayotis Cacoyannis
10 books131 followersPanayotis had a magical childhood growing up in a small seaside town in Cyprus. After two years as an army conscript (at a time when the island suffered first a military coup and then an invasion), he travelled to Britain where he studied law at Oxford and qualified to practise at the Bar. Having then decided (very wisely) that he didn't want to be a lawyer, he also graduated art school, and for many happy years he worked as a painter and sculptor, until a spell of artist's block led to a very short course in creative writing...
For the moment at least, Panayotis has no plans (not to mention the energy or any trace of talent) to embark on a fourth career. His time now exclusively devoted to writing, he lives in London but travels to Cyprus often, to visit friends and family and be near the sea. Aside from reading, writing and playing with his cat, his favorite pastime is going to the movies, and ever since his friend/therapist/barber recommended The Sopranos, he has also discovered good TV.
If anyone would like to get in touch with him, or get regular updates, including news about discounts and giveaways, a newsletter subscription form and a contact email address can be found on his website, where you can also see examples of his artwork.
For the moment at least, Panayotis has no plans (not to mention the energy or any trace of talent) to embark on a fourth career. His time now exclusively devoted to writing, he lives in London but travels to Cyprus often, to visit friends and family and be near the sea. Aside from reading, writing and playing with his cat, his favorite pastime is going to the movies, and ever since his friend/therapist/barber recommended The Sopranos, he has also discovered good TV.
If anyone would like to get in touch with him, or get regular updates, including news about discounts and giveaways, a newsletter subscription form and a contact email address can be found on his website, where you can also see examples of his artwork.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
January 25, 2018
This is an incredibly original novel. There is absolutely nothing about it that I could have predicted. Nevertheless, the idiosyncrasies and experiences of the author seem utterly believable. I signed up full on and joined in for the amazing story line and characters. And for some reason that I can't completely grasp, some aspect of this book reminds me of The Goldfinch. Partly I think this is because of the web of secrecy that surrounded Jack's life.
Can't wait to read more from this author.
Can't wait to read more from this author.
November 27, 2015
Tightly plotted, this tale spans the life of an odd 40-year-old man, now living in London. It takes place in the space of a little over 24 hours.
Our protagonist Jack Faro has changed his name and is now Leon Cream. And here are all the odd things about him. As a young kid, he began painting, and his paintings were Picasso’s. Not replicas, and not forgeries,-- he never signed them with anything but his own name, but they were as if he were channeling the great painter. He became terribly famous, but couldn’t stand the unreality of his reality, and quit painting, changed his name and living on the wealth he had earned as a painter, tried his hand at being a writer. He bought a house in London with a large double lounge, (that’s living room to you Yanks), and now being obsessed with Kafka and his work, had built into the living room a replica of Gregor’s room in The Metamorphosis, with great attention to authentic detail. Well, as authentic you can get when replicating a fictional room that doesn’t actually exist. He writes a story, submits it to a publisher, who is stunned by it. It is a story by Kafka. But she is assured that it is not a long lost manuscript, but actually written by Leon-as-Kafka, just like he painted as Jack-as-Picasso.
Into this stage of his life comes a phone call one evening from a woman who says she is a ghostwriter who wants to write his story. Turns out she knows quite a bit about him and his background and his family. They agree to meet the next day for him to tell his story. The revelations take place over a 24 hour period as they meet, and fall in love.
It is an intricate story, gentle, strange, examining the notions of reality, lies, memory, history, and the role of memory in creating our personal stories. A work of fiction just the way I like them: erudite, interesting, and with a good story.
Our protagonist Jack Faro has changed his name and is now Leon Cream. And here are all the odd things about him. As a young kid, he began painting, and his paintings were Picasso’s. Not replicas, and not forgeries,-- he never signed them with anything but his own name, but they were as if he were channeling the great painter. He became terribly famous, but couldn’t stand the unreality of his reality, and quit painting, changed his name and living on the wealth he had earned as a painter, tried his hand at being a writer. He bought a house in London with a large double lounge, (that’s living room to you Yanks), and now being obsessed with Kafka and his work, had built into the living room a replica of Gregor’s room in The Metamorphosis, with great attention to authentic detail. Well, as authentic you can get when replicating a fictional room that doesn’t actually exist. He writes a story, submits it to a publisher, who is stunned by it. It is a story by Kafka. But she is assured that it is not a long lost manuscript, but actually written by Leon-as-Kafka, just like he painted as Jack-as-Picasso.
Into this stage of his life comes a phone call one evening from a woman who says she is a ghostwriter who wants to write his story. Turns out she knows quite a bit about him and his background and his family. They agree to meet the next day for him to tell his story. The revelations take place over a 24 hour period as they meet, and fall in love.
It is an intricate story, gentle, strange, examining the notions of reality, lies, memory, history, and the role of memory in creating our personal stories. A work of fiction just the way I like them: erudite, interesting, and with a good story.
September 23, 2016
Five stars for its originality, and for making sad uplifting. And then another five stars for reconstructing Gregor Samsa's room from Kafka's wonderful The Metamorphosis!
December 7, 2015
I very much enjoyed Panayotis Cacoyannis’s first book, The Dead of August, and this, his second novel, does not disappoint. It is also written in exquisite prose – if you enjoy the English language wielded by a master, you must read these two books.
As in the previous novel, we are presented with a complex protagonist. We learn early on that he is famous for painting Picassos. He meets up with a ghost writer, who is able to do far more than assist him in writing his autobiography, as she reveals that her family is inextricably linked with his own and that his mother is not who he thinks she is. In complete contrast to the miserable, undemonstrative, alcoholic woman who brought him up, his actual mother was a beautiful Latin American revolutionary, who adored him.
I love the character of Leon; the intriguing idea that he paints Picasso pictures and writes Kafka stories (not copies, but originals that fit chronologically into the oeuvre of each luminary). I wanted him to find love and he was blessed with discovering both a mother’s love and the love of a beautiful woman – his soul mate.
This author really is a refreshing new voice in contemporary fiction.
As in the previous novel, we are presented with a complex protagonist. We learn early on that he is famous for painting Picassos. He meets up with a ghost writer, who is able to do far more than assist him in writing his autobiography, as she reveals that her family is inextricably linked with his own and that his mother is not who he thinks she is. In complete contrast to the miserable, undemonstrative, alcoholic woman who brought him up, his actual mother was a beautiful Latin American revolutionary, who adored him.
I love the character of Leon; the intriguing idea that he paints Picasso pictures and writes Kafka stories (not copies, but originals that fit chronologically into the oeuvre of each luminary). I wanted him to find love and he was blessed with discovering both a mother’s love and the love of a beautiful woman – his soul mate.
This author really is a refreshing new voice in contemporary fiction.
December 27, 2017
Written in exquisite prose, I found this intriguing story of love, life and loss to be an extraordinary read. In an almost mystical way, an entire lifetime of mystery and discovery takes place in one 24-hour time period.
October 16, 2016
The past is not the past. What’s real is unreal and the talent is a curse. Then the real past is revealed and the curse becomes a gift. Love is transformed as it travels from the past to the bug’s bed in The Metamorphosis, in a twenty-first century room. We humans are alone at the beginning and again at the end, in a circle that has neither a beginning nor an end… These and many other parts add up to something more. Bowl of Fruit (1907) is a book that makes you feel, if you let it.
July 29, 2017
I enjoyed this book very much because I felt like i was watching a european movie. Beautiful drama with slight touch of soft humour despite the deep subject that is being told in the story. I can't write much about the plot without spoiling it so I will say that the author has a wonderful management of language as he describes marvelous and vivid images which recall you, as I said before, a very beatiful film. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
December 7, 2015
The fantastically intriguing thing about this book is its hero, Leon. The title of the book, Bowl of Fruit 1907, alludes to a Picasso painting. Leon became celebrated for painting Picassos. I do not mean copying Picassos, because he creates paintings in the style of Picasso which have eminent art historians fooled. As the book opens, Leon is enjoying a Kafka phase where he writes Kafka stories; again I mean authentic Kafka Stories. He has employed a builder to create the room that features in The Metamorphosis, inside his living room – a room within a room.
You could say that this book mirrors The Metamorphosis in that Leon discovers he is not who he thinks he is and this knowledge has a profound effect on him. Like an insect emerging from its chrysalis, the real Leon emerges. He is the product of a deep love without a happy ending. Can his own burgeoning love affair have a happy ending? Read this lovely book and see for yourself.
You could say that this book mirrors The Metamorphosis in that Leon discovers he is not who he thinks he is and this knowledge has a profound effect on him. Like an insect emerging from its chrysalis, the real Leon emerges. He is the product of a deep love without a happy ending. Can his own burgeoning love affair have a happy ending? Read this lovely book and see for yourself.
June 17, 2018
I read this book for the ATY Reading Challenge Week 39: a book with punctuation in the title.
Oh my, what a read!! It is poetry, mystery, and love all included in one amazing story. This is the second book by Cacoyannis that I have read. I thoroughly loved it. A man of many names, each reflecting a different part of his life, finally finds his true name. What would this do to your life? Read it to find out how Leon, who had been Jack, becomes an Angel.
Oh my, what a read!! It is poetry, mystery, and love all included in one amazing story. This is the second book by Cacoyannis that I have read. I thoroughly loved it. A man of many names, each reflecting a different part of his life, finally finds his true name. What would this do to your life? Read it to find out how Leon, who had been Jack, becomes an Angel.
June 25, 2017
Having come across Polk, Harper & Who, which I read without knowing what to expect, I moved backwards to The Dead of August and then to Bowl of Fruit (1907). The three very different books have in common the author's love of language, his affection for and insights into complex, often contradictory characters, and an over-the-top sense of humour. Internal worlds that bend to the absurdity of the human condition take the place of more familiar plot lines, as they often do in literary fiction. This makes them more demanding but also potentially more satisfying, as long as we are able and willing to tune in to the qualities that make each one of them special - the satire of The Dead of August, the magical realism of Bowl, and the wounded love story of Polk.
September 12, 2017
My partner is a big fan of this author's work, and I'm a huge fan of everything Kafka. So this was the first of Cacoyannis' novels I read, and it remains my favourite. It's just so imaginative, and in spite of its brevity I think it's actually an enormous book.
November 6, 2016
The end isn't really the end? I like the idea of that... Clever, sweet book, strange without being metaphysical.
July 7, 2017
And now I've also read Bowl of Fruit (1907)...
It's been commented on that the end is too sudden, too unexpected, not the climax of some cleverly constructed build-up. I admit that I found it upsetting, and that I wished the book had ended differently. But I didn't get the impression that it ended as it did because the author didn't know how else to end it. Which made me curious why he chose to end it as he did. But then isn't that the mystery of fiction? We don't get to know all the answers. There was also something else, which I thought about later. The end, though it was final in one sense, also contained unknown futures - of Billy, of Anna and the girl, of the "undiscovered" text by Franz Kafka.
A quiet, melancholy book, but also full of humour and beautiful images.
It's been commented on that the end is too sudden, too unexpected, not the climax of some cleverly constructed build-up. I admit that I found it upsetting, and that I wished the book had ended differently. But I didn't get the impression that it ended as it did because the author didn't know how else to end it. Which made me curious why he chose to end it as he did. But then isn't that the mystery of fiction? We don't get to know all the answers. There was also something else, which I thought about later. The end, though it was final in one sense, also contained unknown futures - of Billy, of Anna and the girl, of the "undiscovered" text by Franz Kafka.
A quiet, melancholy book, but also full of humour and beautiful images.
October 6, 2016
An extraordinary book, hiding more within its pages than at first meets the eye. I feel enriched by the experience of reading it. But I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much if I hadn't allowed myself to be carried by it.
July 28, 2016
I thought it couldn't have ended in any other way. That's how life is, unpredictable, sudden, unexpected. A sweet and moving book, very original.
May 16, 2017
This book has something more than whatever it was that made me give it five stars. If that makes any sense to you, then probably the book will as well.
Very interesting author.
Very interesting author.
March 8, 2018
IF PICASSO WROTE AND KAFKA PAINTED
It all depends on how you look at it. Panatoyis Cacoyannis departs from this simple premise in spectacular ways, transforming a simple story of self-discovery and love into a remarkable exploration of modernist perceptions of point of view. His artist protagonist Leon experiences life through painting like Cubist artist Picasso, living in a reality as made up of intersecting layers of information, understanding, feeling and actions, sometimes related to each other and sometimes contradictory. Following his preferred avocation, writing, he is able to produce Kafka-like stories which Kafka himself might have written. As appropriate to an experience of absurdism, borders blur between personalities and personal histories, truth and lies, contradictions and fantasies. Both the layers of Cubism and the bizarre unpredictabilities of Absurdism frame the central story of lovers Leon and Anna, whose histories and present identities embody all the puzzling intersections, coincidences, illusions and contradictions of modernist relationships with reality.
From the above, it’s more than a little hard to get a feel for what you’ll be reading. Once you get into the novel, the above makes a lot more sense. He tells a love story, one in which both partners learn about a complicated shared history which has shaped both of their lives. Together they explore the boundaries that keep people from understanding each other fully and the levels of perception that create shared intimacy. Cacoyannis has a real gift for drawing the reader in to a world whose logic overwhelms ordinary reality. He navigates considerable uncertainty with a surefooted tale that makes sense out of seeming chaos. Nothing is what it seems, but everything is a little--or a lot--more than it seems. Readers will emerge with fresh curiosity about the worlds around them and the paths they themselves are choosing to follow. Good writers can change what you think. Very good writers can change how you think. Cacoyannis is very good.
It all depends on how you look at it. Panatoyis Cacoyannis departs from this simple premise in spectacular ways, transforming a simple story of self-discovery and love into a remarkable exploration of modernist perceptions of point of view. His artist protagonist Leon experiences life through painting like Cubist artist Picasso, living in a reality as made up of intersecting layers of information, understanding, feeling and actions, sometimes related to each other and sometimes contradictory. Following his preferred avocation, writing, he is able to produce Kafka-like stories which Kafka himself might have written. As appropriate to an experience of absurdism, borders blur between personalities and personal histories, truth and lies, contradictions and fantasies. Both the layers of Cubism and the bizarre unpredictabilities of Absurdism frame the central story of lovers Leon and Anna, whose histories and present identities embody all the puzzling intersections, coincidences, illusions and contradictions of modernist relationships with reality.
From the above, it’s more than a little hard to get a feel for what you’ll be reading. Once you get into the novel, the above makes a lot more sense. He tells a love story, one in which both partners learn about a complicated shared history which has shaped both of their lives. Together they explore the boundaries that keep people from understanding each other fully and the levels of perception that create shared intimacy. Cacoyannis has a real gift for drawing the reader in to a world whose logic overwhelms ordinary reality. He navigates considerable uncertainty with a surefooted tale that makes sense out of seeming chaos. Nothing is what it seems, but everything is a little--or a lot--more than it seems. Readers will emerge with fresh curiosity about the worlds around them and the paths they themselves are choosing to follow. Good writers can change what you think. Very good writers can change how you think. Cacoyannis is very good.
October 16, 2016
Bowl of Fruit (1907) by Panayotis Cacoyannis is a lyrically written book. The author has a way of bringing together art and literature for the reader's benefit. Anna and Leon are the main characters and are very finely drawn. Their connection grows as the book progresses, and leaves a mystical feeling like a puzzle in the readers' mind. The secrets that frame the plot as well as Leon's psyche are highly unique and make for a fascinating book.The novel is neither rushed nor slow, but keeps a steady pace throughout, drawing the reader in to the complexities of not only Leon and his artistic ability, but the relationship between Leon and Anna. Strong characterization keeps the story moving along, and with elegant writing, Cacoyannis has written a timeless tale.
March 10, 2018
Bowl of Fruit (1907) is such an absorbing novel. You'll find it hard to put it down. While I was distracted by the insane amount of big words poured out throughout the beginning of the book, I began to find them endearing as I read on.
Bowl of Fruit (1907) is a book for scholars, for nerds, for people that enjoy looking up new words in the dictionary. This novel is a book for people that love reading, love mysteries, and maybe even enjoy a lie or two.
I found inspiration in these pages, as well as a mystery. It drove me to order a copy of Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Bowl of Fruit (1907) is a book for scholars, for nerds, for people that enjoy looking up new words in the dictionary. This novel is a book for people that love reading, love mysteries, and maybe even enjoy a lie or two.
I found inspiration in these pages, as well as a mystery. It drove me to order a copy of Kafka's Metamorphosis.
August 30, 2017
Wouldn't it be great if someone invented an algorithm that allowed books to accurately and fairly rate and review their readers? Sometimes I read reviews and I wonder if we've all been reading the same book...
I thought this one was great. But that's just my opinion.
I thought this one was great. But that's just my opinion.
September 1, 2017
Wow,what a trip. I loved the present tense, the 24-hour timeline, the journey from the grave of Karl Marx to the paella and then to the moonlight, from the past to the present and beyond. One of many questions: when is a "gift" not a gift but a curse? Another: does our past matter if we don't know it?
Full of ideas, lyrical, exotic, it reads almost like a poem at times.
Full of ideas, lyrical, exotic, it reads almost like a poem at times.
November 28, 2017
Can't decide which I loved more, Polk, Harper & Who or this. Both quite special, in a way that is hard to describe, which is probably what makes them special...
And now I've also finished reading The Dead of August, which is an amazing book for completely different reasons! Looking forward to reading more by this author.
And now I've also finished reading The Dead of August, which is an amazing book for completely different reasons! Looking forward to reading more by this author.
December 17, 2017
Excellent vocabulary skill.
Obviously a lot of the authors thought provoking work went into this book. Excellent vocabulary that has been missing in today's society of authors. I truly enjoyed this. Want to read more of his work.
Obviously a lot of the authors thought provoking work went into this book. Excellent vocabulary that has been missing in today's society of authors. I truly enjoyed this. Want to read more of his work.
December 29, 2017
Now that I've read them all, I don't know if this "the best" of the author's three books, whatever that means, but it's the one that had the most profound effect on me.
October 19, 2017
Like a magical jigsaw puzzle, a very visual book packed with history, psychology and humour. And then there's Leon's "talent", raising interesting questions about what is original in literature and art, and/or authentic. A spell-binding little book, I agree.
May 31, 2017
As others have said, this is a very special book - magical, original, moving.
September 24, 2024
I was not sure at first what to make of this book, the opening scenes were not especially engaging and I had to read them twice, thanks to Ambien amnesia, but that turned out to just be a passing moment. Be prepared please to take this book in slowly, the prose is meant to be savored, full of lovely descriptions and dialogue like icebergs, brief on the surface, but with much unsaid underneath. A unique story at a time when it is getting harder and harder to find one.
September 20, 2017
A classic of the future.
April 14, 2017
Don't be discouraged by the slow start. Bowl of Fruit (1907) is one of those books that you don't find often, so unique and beautiful that you wish there was even more. But you know the length is just perfect.
Panayotis Cacoyannis takes us in a deeply emotional journey through the past, not only in the sense of our time, but the past of Leon, our main character, and not only through him but through Ana, a ghostwriter, and makes us stay always on the expectative for knowing what is behind ""our secret"". Even with it's relaxed pace, this is a page-turner specially towards the end.
What do you know about your past? How much of it is real? How much of it are lies? How can you know? And what does it matter? All this questions will appear as Leon and Ana get entangled in a day and a night full of surprises.
Very good read, melancholic yet humorous. The feels are guaranteed.
Panayotis Cacoyannis takes us in a deeply emotional journey through the past, not only in the sense of our time, but the past of Leon, our main character, and not only through him but through Ana, a ghostwriter, and makes us stay always on the expectative for knowing what is behind ""our secret"". Even with it's relaxed pace, this is a page-turner specially towards the end.
What do you know about your past? How much of it is real? How much of it are lies? How can you know? And what does it matter? All this questions will appear as Leon and Ana get entangled in a day and a night full of surprises.
Very good read, melancholic yet humorous. The feels are guaranteed.
May 2, 2021
This book was a nice surprise, since it's the first time I read a book from Panayotis Cacoyannis.
A very original plot and character, the book excels by the well written prose. It manages to grab our attention, it sucks us into the story of an unusual character with an unusual talent.
I can't say much more, other to recommend it as a must read.
A very original plot and character, the book excels by the well written prose. It manages to grab our attention, it sucks us into the story of an unusual character with an unusual talent.
I can't say much more, other to recommend it as a must read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews