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The Fading Man
The Fading Man is a captivating literary novel with an inventive fantasy twist. When Vincent heads home from work one day he discovers he’s a little faded. It’s hard to tell at first but he’s certain he can see through his hands, his face, his eyes. In fact, his entire body has become a little see-through.And each morning he wakes up to discover he’s faded a little more.Anna does not need this right now. She’s got enough problems already, such as a class of unruly pupils to contend with and endless piles of marking. Now she has to deal with a fiancé who is disappearing before her very eyes.From the author of The Fat Detective , The Fading Man is a fresh and funny literary fantasy about love, work and the stresses of modern life.
- GenresFantasy
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2020
37 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Christian Hayes
10 books12 followersChristian Hayes is the author of five novels: The Fat Detective, The Fat Detective in Love, The Fat Detective Disappears, The Glass Book and The Fading Man. He works within different genres depending on what each story requires.
He lives in London and is currently working on his next novel.
He lives in London and is currently working on his next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 2, 2021
2.5 stars really.
Picked this up cheaply on a Kindle offer.
This was very short and easy to read. However, the blurb didn't really match the story. I certainly didn't find it 'hilarious', didn't like the two primary characters and didn't identify with much of it.
Not for me. Oh well...
Picked this up cheaply on a Kindle offer.
This was very short and easy to read. However, the blurb didn't really match the story. I certainly didn't find it 'hilarious', didn't like the two primary characters and didn't identify with much of it.
Not for me. Oh well...
December 29, 2020
Unusual and stimulating.
Not my usual read, but I'm so glad I came across this quite by chance. Part fantasy, part investigation od what life is, thie story of a fading man in a fading life is so descriptive of life today that sometimes this book hurts. Well worth reading and even more worth thinking about, the ending is a bit sudden but that doesn't mean it isn't satisfying or strange. Wonderful.
Not my usual read, but I'm so glad I came across this quite by chance. Part fantasy, part investigation od what life is, thie story of a fading man in a fading life is so descriptive of life today that sometimes this book hurts. Well worth reading and even more worth thinking about, the ending is a bit sudden but that doesn't mean it isn't satisfying or strange. Wonderful.
April 22, 2021
The Fading Book
Like the main characters, this book just fades away. It's meaning, if any, is obscure. In a way, it fascinates. When I finished it, I thought, " What the heck! " But I suspect it will stay with me a while, in spite of my perplexity, or perhaps because of it.
Like the main characters, this book just fades away. It's meaning, if any, is obscure. In a way, it fascinates. When I finished it, I thought, " What the heck! " But I suspect it will stay with me a while, in spite of my perplexity, or perhaps because of it.
June 4, 2023
That was not how I expected the book to end
July 25, 2020
~I wouldn't call it the best book in the world, or the best book that I've ever read, but it is a book that I was glad I read by the end~
The synopsis sold the book to me. A man comes back home one day to find that he's faded, and every morning after that, he seems to fade more and more. I hardly needed to read further to know that I wanted to know what happened next.
The intro seemed promising, but halfway through the book, I realised I could not relate to the characters. Of course, we are all products of circumstance, and everyone's circumstances are almost always wildly different, but I like when a book makes me feel the characters' emotions, and places me in their skin. With The Fading Man, I felt like I was watching Vincent and Anna through a thick glass wall - an 'almost there' that muted their humanness and stopped me from empathising with their plight and their tired, everyday lives. Rather, I felt contempt at the way they handled things individually as well as between each other, and that put me off from thinking that this was a book I'd like.
I was disappointed perhaps because the synopsis built my expectations quite high. But, very fortunately, the way the book was written was engaging, even if the story didn't feel like it. The words flowed easily into one another, making me forget about how much time was passing while I was reading the book, and before I knew it, I was about 70% in. Also, fortunately, this was when things began to pick up the pace, and the story seemed to be going somewhere-maybe not towards a resolution (that was left to be seen), but somewhere that was interesting, amusing, and kept me holding on to the hopes I'd previously thought of discarding.
I could finally see the characters as human beings with their own dreams and hopes, ambitions and frustrations, and I would even say that this kept me hooked till The End, which I would probably best describe as feeling like the end of a 70's song - fading out to the peaceful silence that can only come with a feeling of satisfaction or contentment.
Like I said, I wouldn't call it my favourite book, but it is definitely one that I'm glad I read, even if it was the latter half that made me feel that way.
The synopsis sold the book to me. A man comes back home one day to find that he's faded, and every morning after that, he seems to fade more and more. I hardly needed to read further to know that I wanted to know what happened next.
The intro seemed promising, but halfway through the book, I realised I could not relate to the characters. Of course, we are all products of circumstance, and everyone's circumstances are almost always wildly different, but I like when a book makes me feel the characters' emotions, and places me in their skin. With The Fading Man, I felt like I was watching Vincent and Anna through a thick glass wall - an 'almost there' that muted their humanness and stopped me from empathising with their plight and their tired, everyday lives. Rather, I felt contempt at the way they handled things individually as well as between each other, and that put me off from thinking that this was a book I'd like.
I was disappointed perhaps because the synopsis built my expectations quite high. But, very fortunately, the way the book was written was engaging, even if the story didn't feel like it. The words flowed easily into one another, making me forget about how much time was passing while I was reading the book, and before I knew it, I was about 70% in. Also, fortunately, this was when things began to pick up the pace, and the story seemed to be going somewhere-maybe not towards a resolution (that was left to be seen), but somewhere that was interesting, amusing, and kept me holding on to the hopes I'd previously thought of discarding.
I could finally see the characters as human beings with their own dreams and hopes, ambitions and frustrations, and I would even say that this kept me hooked till The End, which I would probably best describe as feeling like the end of a 70's song - fading out to the peaceful silence that can only come with a feeling of satisfaction or contentment.
Like I said, I wouldn't call it my favourite book, but it is definitely one that I'm glad I read, even if it was the latter half that made me feel that way.
August 14, 2020
Vincent and Anna are engaged and planning their wedding. Vincent has just come home from work and is standing at the refrigerator drinking a soda when he realizes he can see through his hand. He looks in the mirror and sure enough he can see the picture on the wall behind him. Gradually as the days go by he continues to fade. Anna is concerned Vincent is just trying to get out of marrying her. Besides fading away, Vincent has a secret he hasn't told Anna. Thus begins the story of Vincent and Anna in The Fading Man.
I loved this book. First off, it's hilarious. Between what the characters were thinking and what they were saying, I was thoroughly entertained. It may be the funniest book I've ever read.
Second, the two main characters, Vincent and Anna, are likable and believable. One of Anna's students is talking about characters in a book the class is reading. He says, "You liked spending time with them." That is how I felt exactly.
The story didn't go where I expected. Too bad it's just a story.
I will be recommending this book to family and friends.
I loved this book. First off, it's hilarious. Between what the characters were thinking and what they were saying, I was thoroughly entertained. It may be the funniest book I've ever read.
Second, the two main characters, Vincent and Anna, are likable and believable. One of Anna's students is talking about characters in a book the class is reading. He says, "You liked spending time with them." That is how I felt exactly.
The story didn't go where I expected. Too bad it's just a story.
I will be recommending this book to family and friends.
July 20, 2020
If I had to guess, I'd say Christian Hayes spent too many hours watching Twilight Zone reruns. This story starts out odd and then really gets weird. While the story does not resolve anything nor answer any questions, it did have an oddly satisfying ending. Enough so to earn an extra star in my rating.
While I did not find the main characters at all appealing and was finding it hard to be too sympathetic with their plights, by the end of the book I could relate with them a bit better.
While I did not find the main characters at all appealing and was finding it hard to be too sympathetic with their plights, by the end of the book I could relate with them a bit better.
August 13, 2020
A satire of modern life with a happy ending. Or at least we think so. Stress? Not really. Just a failure to hear and understand your self or your mate. An interesting story and worth the read.
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August 24, 2020I'm a great fan of fantasy but this isn't the same genre. It's probably one of the most peculiar books I've ever read but I couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews