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The Fainter
Luke is a young diplomat on his first overseas posting. He’'s in New York, preparing for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. His photo has appeared in the New York Times. He has a knack for success. Then he witnesses a crime, the fallout from which threatens everything.
His fainting spells return and he finds himself back in New Zealand, living on his sister's farm, caught up in another difficulty altogether, and involved in the life of a community whose personalities and rules of conduct he finds as bewitching and dizzying as anything experienced at the frontline of international diplomacy. By the end of his time there –– which takes the reader only halfway through this novel –– Luke has been asked the most testing questions about himself.
In the second part of the book, these questions return with a new and surprising urgency. The Fainter is a superb novel, beautifully written, bracingly funny, rich with cutting insight and cool compassion.
'Outside the pages of Maurice Gee'’s fiction, there is no picture of contemporary New Zealand society as convincing as this one, and its creation of individual characters is unsurpassed. . . . A beautifully crafted work of fiction.' —Nelson Wattie, Dominion Post
'Wilkins has a beautiful way, using the gentlest of brush strokes, of conveying human frailties and challenging the reader to stay with him.' —Hedley Mortlock, NZ Herald
His fainting spells return and he finds himself back in New Zealand, living on his sister's farm, caught up in another difficulty altogether, and involved in the life of a community whose personalities and rules of conduct he finds as bewitching and dizzying as anything experienced at the frontline of international diplomacy. By the end of his time there –– which takes the reader only halfway through this novel –– Luke has been asked the most testing questions about himself.
In the second part of the book, these questions return with a new and surprising urgency. The Fainter is a superb novel, beautifully written, bracingly funny, rich with cutting insight and cool compassion.
'Outside the pages of Maurice Gee'’s fiction, there is no picture of contemporary New Zealand society as convincing as this one, and its creation of individual characters is unsurpassed. . . . A beautifully crafted work of fiction.' —Nelson Wattie, Dominion Post
'Wilkins has a beautiful way, using the gentlest of brush strokes, of conveying human frailties and challenging the reader to stay with him.' —Hedley Mortlock, NZ Herald
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
13 people want to read
About the author
Damien Wilkins
22 books28 followersDamien Wilkins writes fiction, and he has published short stories, novels, and poetry. His writing has been described as ‘exuberant and evocative, subtle and exact, aware of its own artifice yet relishing the idiosyncrasies and possibilities of language’. Wilkins has had books published in New Zealand, the USA and the UK, and he has won and been nominated for a range of prizes and awards. He also edited the award-winning anthology, Great Sporting Moments: The best of Sport magazine 1988-2004 published in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 1, 2025
I’ve finally read a book by a much admired New Zealand writer.
A very elegant, well written book, full of prose that would be the envy of all.
I prefer a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end
A very elegant, well written book, full of prose that would be the envy of all.
I prefer a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end
October 27, 2025
Long winded with a lot of deep family/personal intrigue and self-analysis.
Good to read as part of getting to know Wilkins' style.
Delirious is an absolute gem.
Good to read as part of getting to know Wilkins' style.
Delirious is an absolute gem.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews