A haunting debut novel about a psychically shattered patrician New England family and one of its sons, implicated in the mysterious death of his alcoholic father. The time is the 1990s. Simon Curtis, in his mid-thirties, is a painter ? a yearning, troubled loner still burdened with the unfinished business of childhood. He seeks refuge for the summer in his family?s house in Maine, and then, for the fall, in their place in Massachusetts ? despite his father?s insistence that he is not welcome. Simon hides out in his old room, sneaking around unobserved, and secretly watches his father ? a remote, eloquent alcoholic who has never seriously noticed him to begin with, and whom Simon blames for everything, including his mother?s death. When his father is found dead, Simon is thrust into the center of a news-making trial, under the spotlight in a mad media circus. Instead of despairing, he responds as if life has never been better. In the past, he has always been alone, floating in the curious dimension of his art. Now everyone is paying attention to him. Now his life is happening, on a surprising and grand stage. As the narrative deepens ? infusing Simon?s tenuous grasp of present-day reality with his disconnected distress and the lost idyll of his boyhood ? Minot creates a gripping portrait of the disaffected child-man brought face-to-face with the dreamworld of his past and the frightening reality of the present.

Seller Inventory # 9780394573489

Contact seller

Report this item

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Blue Bowl
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Date: 2004
Language: English
ISBN 10: 039457348X
ISBN 13: 9780394573489
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Collectible-Like New

About this title

Synopsis

A haunting debut novel about a psychically shattered patrician New England family and one of its sons, implicated in the mysterious death of his alcoholic father.
The time is the 1990s. Simon Curtis, in his mid-thirties, is a painter - a yearning, troubled loner still burdened with the unfinished business of childhood. He seeks refuge for the summer in his family's house in Maine, and then, for the fall, in their place in Massachusetts - despite his father's insistence that he is not welcome. Simon hides out in his old room, sneaking around unobserved, and secretly watches his father - a remote, eloquent alcoholic who has never seriously noticed him to begin with, and whom Simon blames for everything, including his mother's death.
When his father is found dead, Simon is thrust into the center of a news-making trial, under the spotlight in a mad media circus. Instead of despairing, he responds as if life has never been better. In the past, he has always been alone, floating in the curious dimension of his art. Now everyone is paying attention to him. Now his life is happening, on a surprising and grand stage.
As the narrative deepens - infusing Simon's tenuous grasp of present-day reality with his disconnected distress and the lost idyll of his boyhood - Minot creates a portrait of the disaffected child-man brought face-to-face with the dreamworld of his past and the frightening reality of the present.

About the Author

George Minot lives in New York City.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

At SZ Global, we specialize in sourcing and offering a diverse selection of books across a wide range of categories, including fiction, literature, business, religious works, and more. Our inventory includes both contemporary titles and hard to find editions, carefully selected to meet the needs of readers, collectors, and enthusiasts. We are committed to providing accurate listings, reliable service, and a smooth purchasing experience. All orders are shipped from our Kuwait warehouse, and we take great care in packaging to ensure books arrive in the condition described. Returns are accepted at our designated return address in Toronto, Canada, in accordance with AbeBooks policies. Whether you are expanding your personal collection, searching for a specific title, or simply exploring, SZ Global aims to be a dependable source for quality books.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

SZ Global
ON, Canada

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

These terms and conditions of sale (?Agreement?) are applicable to any order placed with and accepted by Us (referred to herein as ?Supplier?):

SCOPE OF AGREEMENT. Supplier, upon acceptance of an Order placed by Buyer, will supply the products and services specified in the Order (the ?Work?) to Buyer, pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and its exhibits and Supplier?s acceptance of such order submitted by Buyer is expressly limited to the terms and conditions of this Agreeme...

More Information

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to SZ Global, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping Terms

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 15 days of the Estimated Delivery Date for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

Any customer wishing to return a book has 30 days to do so if they are not entirely satisfied.

You should expect to receive your refund within three weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Shipping rates from Canada to U.S.A.

Shipping rates from Canada to U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 10 business days	3 to 5 business days
First item	� 27.27	� 29.47

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.