The Gift

Flusfeder, David

ISBN 10: 0007140789 / ISBN 13: 9780007140787

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 2004

Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP83229007

Synopsis:

Problem: Best friends keep giving extremely generous gifts
Solution: Give better ones in return

Philip has a lot on his mind. At home, in his unnecessarily large, excessively expensive house in south London, he is attempting to become a Taoist master of love with his wife Alice, but his quest is forever being interrupted by the requests of his twin daughters: Can we have a pony – please? I want to go to boarding school – please? At work, in his shed/office at the bottom of the garden, between countless games of Minesweep and FreeCell, Philip is trying to pay the mortgage by writing instruction manuals for Korean bread-making machines. And, at parties where he is concerned that he is not taken seriously (he has been variously mistaken as a doctor/waiter and sinologist) Philip tells the world he is a scriptwriter, even though all he has managed to pen is a story he calls Wang the Unlucky Scholar.

But, above all, Philip is worrying about his best friends Sean and Barry. The problem is simple: they give great presents. Their gifts are exquisite: a full set of Italian crockery, a handmade corkscrew from Venice. They give them indiscriminately: on birthdays, at parties and quite often for no reason whatsoever. And, most distressingly, these presents break all bounds of generosity: two FA Cup Final tickets beside the royal box, a skiing holiday for Philip's entire family. These are gifts that hurt a man's pride, these are gifts that can never be matched.

About the Author:

David Flusfeder is the author of six novels: Man Kills Woman (1993), Like Plastic (1996), which won the Encore Award, Morocco (2001), The Gift (2003), The Pagan House (2007) and A Film by Spencer Ludwig (2010).

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Gift
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Publication Date: 2004
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good