Oxygen

Description

In a house in the English country side a woman in her sixties, Alice, is dying. In the garden, her younger son is working on the translation of a play by a celebrated Hungarian playwright, Lazlo Lazar. In San Francisco, Alice's other son, a one time soap actor and now heavily in debt, is on his way to a meeting with a pornographic film producer. And in Vienna, Lazlo Lazar is having supper with his lover, Kurt, and an American painter, discussing action, courage and the revolutions of 1956 and 68. Each of these characters will soon face a test of courage. Each will be forced to take part in an act of liberation - though not necessarily the one they foresaw. Naturally, there are certain coloured pills, a revolver, and a child who cannot be trusted as the summer of 97, the summer of the comet, reaches its surprising conclusion.

Andrew Miller was born in Bristol in 1960 and grew up in the West Country. He has lived in Spain, Japan, Ireland and France, but currently lives in London. His first novel, INGENIOUS PAIN, was published by Sceptre in 1997 and won the James Tait Black Memorial Award for Fiction, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Grinzane Cavour prize in Italy. His second novel, CASANOVA, met with similar acclaim on its publication in 1998, and both books are being adapted for film

"1 'Complex and elegantly constructed... an admirably restrained piece of writing, tender, funny, witty, profound, Oxygen confirms Miller's exceptional gifts and leaves one gasping for more.' - Susie Maguire, Glasgow Sunday Herald 2 'With Oxygen, Andrew Miller confirms his reputation as one of our most skilful chroniclers of the human heart and mind... a thoughtful, complex and satisfying work... its interplay of ideas, its nuance of character and above all its confident sensibility make it a deeply pleasurable read.' - Caroline Gascoigne, Sunday Times 3 'A beautifully written novel, which extols the power of love... it proves Andrew Miller to be a writer of rare ability. This is his only work with a contemporary setting and it grabs your attention to the last page.' - Maggie Douglas, Daily Express 4 'Miller's use of imagery is always unexpected, sometimes astonishing... the subtlety of his observation remains a delight... it is also impossible to put down' - Christopher Fowler, Independent on Sunday