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The Speed of Light
"Pashman debuts with this precise and troubling portrait of a smug and cultured man who doesn't recognize his own despair. A vivid cautionary tale about the seductions and emptiness of a life in which conquest stands in for love". -- Kirkus
"With the wry, subtle style of Jane Austin, Katherine Mansfield and Mary McCarthy, Susan PAshman examines the intense drama that occurs between human beings who, for all their intimacy, couldn't be further apart. Their drama is frightening not because we know it so well but because no one is strong enough to withstand its sight for too long. Susan Pashman's gaze is at once humorous, tactful and lyrical--but it is, as is anyone's who wields a scalpel into the human heart, quite ruthless, the way only love and friendship can be ruthless." Andre Aciman
"An earnest, meticulously observed character study. As a novel of Upper East Side... manners...,Pashman's debut has telling scenes that ring absolutely true." Publisher's Weekly
"With the wry, subtle style of Jane Austin, Katherine Mansfield and Mary McCarthy, Susan PAshman examines the intense drama that occurs between human beings who, for all their intimacy, couldn't be further apart. Their drama is frightening not because we know it so well but because no one is strong enough to withstand its sight for too long. Susan Pashman's gaze is at once humorous, tactful and lyrical--but it is, as is anyone's who wields a scalpel into the human heart, quite ruthless, the way only love and friendship can be ruthless." Andre Aciman
"An earnest, meticulously observed character study. As a novel of Upper East Side... manners...,Pashman's debut has telling scenes that ring absolutely true." Publisher's Weekly
207 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1997
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February 16, 2024
This book is well written and some touchy subject matters were deftly handled. But mostly it’s about the behavior of those whose profession and prominence in society, it’s assumed, would influence some kind of respectable in their personal lives. It’s about how the gods that culture worships have feet of clay. How these “respectable “ people have no moral compass.
This book was published in 1997, yet is very relevant in today’s world, in 2024 when I’ve read it.
Cultural expectations play into this story a lot. Sexual identity. Women in the priesthood. Marriage vows. A short story with a lot of punch.
The protagonist is not a likable person and we don’t have to look far to identify someone we know who’s just like him. What a pity. I’m just relieved that he got his just deserves in the end.
This book was published in 1997, yet is very relevant in today’s world, in 2024 when I’ve read it.
Cultural expectations play into this story a lot. Sexual identity. Women in the priesthood. Marriage vows. A short story with a lot of punch.
The protagonist is not a likable person and we don’t have to look far to identify someone we know who’s just like him. What a pity. I’m just relieved that he got his just deserves in the end.
Displaying 1 of 1 review