Invisible World: A Novel - Softcover

Cohen, Stuart Archer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 194042304X ISBN 13: 9781940423043

Publisher: Four Winds Press, 2014

Synopsis

An invitation from a dead man propels a Chicago plumber on a perilous journey from Hong Kong to Inner Mongolia in search of a fabled map of the Invisible World

Andrew Mann's mundane existence ends the day his jet-setting childhood friend, Clayton Smith, sends Andrew an airplane ticket to Asia along with an invitation to his own funeral, dispatched shortly before his mysterious suicide. Stylish, elegant and thrilling, Stuart Cohen's debut novel draws readers into a treacherous world of artists and smugglers, duplicitous friends and seductive enemies. Invisible World is both a novel of adventure and a mesmerizing exploration of an unseen world.

About this title

Review:

A predawn call startles Andy Mann from slumber. The voice of a stranger breaks the news that Clayton Smith--childhood friend, world traveller, and flamboyant artist--has committed suicide; the revelation that he made plans for his own funeral a few days later in Hong Kong complicates the mystery, as does the fact that he was finally about to make the trip of his dreams to Inner Mongolia. Andy, by comparison a stay-at-home, chronically enervated Chicagoan plagued by a succession of failed careers, has ended up tending to his father's ailing business. With only a day's notice to prepare for Clayton's funeral, Andy hesitates; his father's business needs his attention, and his friendship with Clayton had been waning for a long time. In the end, though, he does attend, spurred on by Clayton's final cryptic message to him: "I've always been your wild card. Play me."

Reminiscences of the friendship and Clayton's rise from restless world traveller to successful artist in Tokyo add heart to the narrative as Andy tries to piece together the events that led to Clayton's death. But the mystery evolves into a treasure hunt as it is revealed that Clayton had been on a quest for an exquisite piece of fabric mapping the "invisible world" that lies beyond the senses.

Invisible World sets a lively pace, creating exotic settings peopled by colourful, original characters. Myriad mysteries pepper the adventure: why did Clayton, finally enjoying artistic success, commit suicide? Why did he so desperately want to visit Inner Mongolia? What is the real value of the invaluable antique fabric? With this sure-footed mystery that doubles as an exhilarating expedition to the edges of the world, Stuart Cohen puts a new spin on the old truth that the lines between the material and the spiritual are an absolute blur.

Review:

An intriguing mixture of adventure story and philosophical conundrum. Ingenious, atmospheric and unsettling.” The Times of London

A subtle, suspenseful experience . . . Here is a thinking person’s thriller, brimming with ideas and a most appropriate complexity.” The San Francisco Chronicle

Invisible World has been translated into French, German, Dutch, Czech, and Japanese.

About this edition

• Publisher: Four Winds Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 194042304X
• ISBN 13: 9781940423043
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 350