George K. Ilsley
Forfatter af ManBug
Om forfatteren
George K. Ilsley explores his complex relationship with his aging father in this candid memoir full of sharp emotion and disarming humour. George's father is ninety-one years old, a widower, and fiercely independent. He's an avid gardener, sweet, and more than a little eccentric. But he's also a vis mere hoarder who makes embarrassing comments and invitations to women, and he has made no plans whatsoever for what is inevitably coming over the horizon. Decades after George has moved four time zones away, he begins to make regular trips home to help care for his cranky and uncooperative father, and to sift through the hoarded fragments of his father's life. In doing so, George is forced to confront some uncomfortable family secrets and ugly personal truths, only to discover that the inexorable power of life's journey pulls everyone along in its wake. The Home Stretch is a beguiling, moving book about aging parents who do not "go gently," and their adult children who must reckon with their own past before helping to guide them on their way. vis mindre
Værker af George K. Ilsley
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Quirky, original and incredibly insightful!
Experimental fiction is not usually my thing, but Sebastian and Tom and their unique worldview is so endearing and raw. The book’s funny little anecdotes will be drawing me back for sure
Experimental fiction is not usually my thing, but Sebastian and Tom and their unique worldview is so endearing and raw. The book’s funny little anecdotes will be drawing me back for sure
A gritty, searing, engaging look at gay and bisexual youth. Through a series of short stories, George Ilsley masterfully explores what it means to be marginalized in a complex world.
This quick and dirty plot summary makes the whole of ManBug seem precariously twee, an exercise in quirks and idiosyncrasies, and indeed the duo are spectacularly unique in oddball ways, in particular Sebastian’s additional experiencing of synesthesia, a condition wherein he sees colours in reaction to sounds or words. It’s to Ilsley’s immense credit that ManBug, a novel without a noticeable plot, reads not as overly-precocious experimental fiction, but rather as a funny, sexy, and surprisingly profound experience.
Read the full review here.… (mere)
Read the full review here.… (mere)
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Statistikker
- Værker
- 3
- Also by
- 2
- Medlemmer
- 60
- Popularitet
- #277,520
- Vurdering
- 4.0
- Anmeldelser
- 4
- ISBN
- 6
The story of their relationship is told in short chapters which read like ethereal wisps of stories. There is a story here, and despite the light feeling of the prose, there is depth and weight. There are also moments of incredible humor. Familiarity with Buddhism, while not necessary for the enjoyment of this novel, will certainly add new depth to some of the story.
One of the devices that I found interesting was the way that Sebastian saw the world of feelings as colors. Throughout the book, Tom moves from blue to green.
Of course, one can't talk about a novel called ManBug without wondering about its relationship to Kafka's The Metamorphosis. The word "metamorphosis" appears several times throughout ManBug, and change is certainly a major theme in the book. Tom and Sebastian's relationship changes throughout the book, but more importantly, Sebastian's relationship to the world changes.
Another theme of the novel is impermanence, the Buddhist concept that nothing lasts and that everything, even the idea of "I", the ego, is ephemeral and changing. Ever chapter is a fleeting, impermanent thing that often leaves behind no residue. The novel, as a whole, however is concrete and will live in my mind for a long while.… (mere)