The Post-Birthday World

Synopsis

?The Post-Birthday World is a brilliant ?what if novel. But that barely scrapes the surface in describing Shriver's imaginative feat. . . .It's mad genius. . . . A tour de force.? ? USA Today American children's book illustrator Irina McGovern enjoys a secure, settled life in London with her smart, loyal, disciplined partner, Lawrence ? until the night she finds herself inexplicably drawn to kissing another man, a passionate, extravagant, top-ranked snooker player. Two competing alternate futures hinge on this single kiss, as Irina's decision ? to surrender to temptation or to preserve her seemingly safe partnership with Lawrence ? will have momentous consequences for her career, her friendships and familial relationships, and the texture of her daily life. A playful, psychologically acute, and luxuriously textured meditation on the nature of love.? ? The New Yorker Outstanding. . . . Shriver, a brilliant and versatile writer, allows these competing stories to unfold organically, each a fully rounded drama, rich with irony, ambiguity, and unforeseeable human complications.? ? Entertainment Weekly [A] wonderful new novel. . . . The rewards for sticking with these five-hundred-plus pages are as delicious as one of Irina's feasts.? ? Washington Post Book World Book clubs across the USA should be buying up stacks of Lionel Shriver's dazzling Rubik's Cube of a novel. . . . Even if you?re a solitary reader, file this one under Books That Will Have You Talking ? to yourself.? ? USA Today