Eclipse Fever

by Walter Abish

Among the multifaceted characters whose lives interlock are Alejandro, a once-prominent literary critic fallen into disfavor; his estranged wife, Mercedes, whom he suspects of openly conducting an affair with an American writer; Bonny, the writer’s runaway daughter, who is made to witness a calamitous sequence of events that culminates in murder; Preston, an American industrialist, and his sexually frustrated wife, Rita; and the unscrupulous art dealer Pech. As the lives of these people press together, as they buckle and collapse, the novel holds up a mirror to a moment in which we lived―the end of a millennium, of an era― and to the perils, temptations, and hysteria that lie just below the surface.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, The United States Of America

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Walter Abish was an American author of experimental novels and short stories.

At a young age, his family fled from the Nazis, traveling first to Italy and Nice before settling in Shanghai from 1940 to 1949. In 1949, they moved to Israel, where Abish served in the army and developed an interest in writing. He moved to the United States in 1957 and became an American citizen in 1960. Since 1975, Abish has taught at several eastern universities and colleges. Abish received the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1981 for his book How German Is It?. He has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship.

Abish's work shows both imaginative and experimental elements. In Alphabetical Africa, for instance, the first chapter consists entirely of words beginning with the letter "A." In the second chapter, words beginning with "B" appear, and so on through the alphabet. In the Future Perfect is a collection of short stories where words are juxtaposed in unusual patterns.

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot convince anyone to read this book; but, I wish that someone I know would so I could talk about it with someone.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take Didion’s Democracy, remove the snarking dogs of monied ennui, add a true outsider’s perspective, and place it all on a gyroscope. Now spin! That’s the verve of Abish here, having a blast making shitty people do shitty people things.

He does acknowledge that most actors in these crosshatchings of power are innocents—innocents in that they have no fucking clue what either they or their money are really doing. Innocent here largely means unaware and ignorant.

If that’s painting w a too-wide brush, it’s intentional as it allows Abish to crank up the absurdity level to a solid sub-Jarryean pitch. Unlike Didion, he’s not interested in exploring and exposing the corridors of power. No, our Walter is far more interested in showing you the same corridor, its lovely floral appointments, opening the windows, and dropping flowerpots on the heads of those who wear evening wear in the daytime.

*Top 5 books of the year.

[Velvetink · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found this in an opportunity store ($2) while waiting for my car rego check.

[Clara Prizont]

a bit hard to get into at first. after 100 pages, it became hard to put down

[sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it recently on vacation. Now I'd like to see Mexico.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A many-layered, rollicking tale about shady art dealings, desire and high society in mexico city.