Men Like Air - Softcover

Tom Connolly

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1908434880 ISBN 13: 9781908434883

Publisher: Myriad Editions, 2016

Synopsis

Tom Connolly's dazzling second novel is a funny, turbulent and heartfelt study of male relationships, and a glorious love letter to the city of New York.

It is April in Manhattan and the destinies of four very different men are about to collide. Nineteen-year-old Finn has just arrived in the city with his irrepressible and volatile girlfriend, Dilly, determined to even the score with his older brother Jack for abandoning him in the UK in the aftermath of their parents' deaths. Across town, successful gallery owner Leo Emerson is haunted by loneliness, unsettled by the contrast between his life and that of his brother-in-law and oldest friend William, who is enviably contented in his faith and his marriage.

When Finn wanders into Leo's gallery, a series of unexpected and interconnected events unfold, changing the lives of all four men, for better or worse. Leo and William's settled existences are overturned by events outside of their control, while Jack and Finn's complex relationship reaches its long overdue showdown.

Beautifully orchestrated and richly comic, Men Like Air explores the romance and solitude of cosmopolitan life, the transformative power of art, and the impact we have on one another's lives - and what happens when the ties that bind us are tested or broken. It is an intense and uplifting story of growth and renewal, mapping the complex workings of the human heart across the streets of New York City.

About this title

Review:

&quotAn epic love letter to New York City, Men Like Air is bold, absorbing and very funny. Tom Connolly has a quiet brilliance." - Evie Wyld

&quotFrom beginning to end the writing is beautiful, witty, and sharp... Connolly orchestrates the relationships in the most assured manner imaginable, making the most of every scene and sentence. It's funny, frustrating, upsetting, and very true to life. It's a contender for book of the year." Bookmunch

"Men Like Air is not only thought-provoking and moving but also has some extremely funny moments... guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and worth the price of the ticket on its own." - Daily Mail&quotFunny and refreshingly complex - also has some extremely funny moments." - Elle, 12 New Books To Add To Your Shelfie

&quotThere are just wonderful turns of phrase that capture the feel of the city and the nuances of everyday life, at which Tom Connolly excels. You can tell that he is not only an author, but also a film maker, his prose has a very visual quality to it." - Tripfiction

&quotThe &quotlove letter to New York" may have been the hook for me but male friendship is an unusual theme which gives Connolly's novel an added draw." --A Life in Books

Praise for The Spider Truces

&quotA magical coming-of-age novel... fierce, humane and hazily poetic." - Guardian

&quotA beautiful book... poignantly written." - Rosie Blau, Man Booker Prize judge

&quotLyrical, warm and moving, this impressive début is reminiscent of Laurie Lee." --Meera Syal

About the Author:

Tom Connolly is an acclaimed film maker and writer. He has directed award-winning short films for the cinema and for Channel 4 and the BBC. His short stories and radio plays have been broadcast on Radio 4. His story 'The Man in the Lift' was shortlisted for the Imison Award. His first novel, The Spider Truces (a Financial Times Book of the Year), was shortlisted for the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award, Waverton Good Read Award and Brit Writers' Published Writer of the Year Award, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize.

About this edition

• Publisher: Myriad Editions
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1908434880
• ISBN 13: 9781908434883
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320