Midnight in a Perfect Life

Description

Karl is a troubled writer standing on the precipice of forty. After a degree of success in his early career he is now battling with what he terms his 'opus', his legacy to the world. But his partner Lori, the main breadwinner, is also thinking about her destiny and wants a child. As they embark on fertility treatment, Karl is forced to confront his deepest fear - that he will turn out to be like his father, a travelling salesman who was found dead after apparently committing murder when Karl was just thirteen. Unbeknownst to Lori, Karl has already taken loans out against their house to pay for his mother's care home and his freelance work has dried up. As the treatment progresses, Karl feels increasingly distanced from his relationship and the safety of home and attracted to the shadowlands of Chicago's backstreets. When Fennimore re-emerges with a proposal, Karl begins to tap this new source of creativity - but just how far will he go in his pursuit of the ultimate story?

Michael Collins was born in 1964 in Limerick, Ireland. He is the author of seven novels and two collections of short stories. His work has garnered numerous awards, including a Pushcart Award for Best American Short Stories, the Kerry Ingredients Irish Novel of the Year and he has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Impac Prize. Collins is also an extreme athlete and has won the Last Marathon in the Antarctic and set a record time in winning both the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race and the Everest Challenge Marathon.

Part detective story, part philosophical tract with a nod to both Donna Tartt and STephen King, this novel is compelling, thought-provoking and just a little bit spooky * BOOKSELLER * This excellent novel draws on several genres . . . to make something unique * THE TIMES * Collins is a considerable stylist . . . his prose has a thoughtful, sinewy quality, a kind of subliminal toughness of mind * TELEGRAPH * [Collins] is a stylist, blessed with the gift of having something worth saying * SCOTSMAN * One of the most exciting talents to have emerged not only in Ireland but anywhere in recent decades -- Susan Hill * THE TIMES * A gentle and reflective novel * SOUTH WALES ARGUS *