No getting away from it.A quick glance at the image was enough to give shape to the dim suspicious of the past months. The embryo lay curled up like an amphibian, one eye looking straight at him. Was that a leg or a tentacle above the dragon's tail?
Moments of absolute certainty in life are few and far between. But in this instant Henry saw into the future. The amphibian would grow into a person. I would have rights and claims, it would ask questions, and at some point it would experience everything it takes to become a human being.
Description:
In the opening pages of Sascha Arango's fascinating novel, The Truth and Other Lies, Henry Hayden learns Betty is ecstatically pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, Betty is not his wife but his beautiful mistress and also his book editor. He is not in love with her but he can contemplate a future with Betty and his child, a life not without its merits on many points.
On the other hand, he currently has a more than satisfactory life with his long-time wife Martha. Henry is a highly-successful author of thrillers, living the good life with quiet Martha in a huge estate, complete with a Maserati and plenty of free time to enjoy fine food and clothes.
The truth is he is reluctant to leave Martha because it is really Martha who has written all Henry's best-sellers. He himself cannot write a word. Fortunately, she prefers an anonymous and quiet life, writing late into the night, while Henry loves the life of basking in the glory of the persona of a successful writer. They are a perfect match.
To leave Martha might mean an end to Henry's "writing career" and all the accompanying pleasures. On the other hand, to remain married and confess to Martha about Betty and his child could also prove problematic if not impossible. This will take some thought by Henry.
Henry does figure out a satisfactory solution to his awkward situation in the first pages of the novel, but the results are not what he or either woman anticipated. And it has a long-ranging affect on his career. Meanwhile Henry discovers there is an added complication: a mysterious man has secretly researched Henry's life and seeks to expose the secret of his faked authorship.
That's all you get, the first chapter. But believe me there is no putting this book down as the plot twists and turns over convoluted pathways as Henry tries to preserve his current life and all his relationships without repercussion. As I said, Henry is a survivor, but for how long and at what cost to himself and others?
On the other hand, he currently has a more than satisfactory life with his long-time wife Martha. Henry is a highly-successful author of thrillers, living the good life with quiet Martha in a huge estate, complete with a Maserati and plenty of free time to enjoy fine food and clothes.
The truth is he is reluctant to leave Martha because it is really Martha who has written all Henry's best-sellers. He himself cannot write a word. Fortunately, she prefers an anonymous and quiet life, writing late into the night, while Henry loves the life of basking in the glory of the persona of a successful writer. They are a perfect match.
To leave Martha might mean an end to Henry's "writing career" and all the accompanying pleasures. On the other hand, to remain married and confess to Martha about Betty and his child could also prove problematic if not impossible. This will take some thought by Henry.
Afternoon, four o'clock. The best time of the day, when it's too late to catch up on whatever you've failed to do, when the light grows softer and the ice cubes glint in your glass. You treat yourself to a long drink instead of an afternoon nap, forget your vices, write imaginary letters, and escort yourself out of this squandered, pointlessly spent day.But Henry is not one to be stymied for long. He is a survivor, a man we soon learn has a checkered past in orphanages and later a life away from all public records> it was only when he flashed into the notice of the world by publishing his/Martha's first blockbuster novel that the world discovered him and made his anonymous name internationally famous.
Henry does figure out a satisfactory solution to his awkward situation in the first pages of the novel, but the results are not what he or either woman anticipated. And it has a long-ranging affect on his career. Meanwhile Henry discovers there is an added complication: a mysterious man has secretly researched Henry's life and seeks to expose the secret of his faked authorship.
That's all you get, the first chapter. But believe me there is no putting this book down as the plot twists and turns over convoluted pathways as Henry tries to preserve his current life and all his relationships without repercussion. As I said, Henry is a survivor, but for how long and at what cost to himself and others?
If you make your dreams come true you have to live with them.
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley
Another tale of bold, confident crime by a cool, calculating man who murders a friend simply to assume his identity and wealth, managing to stay one step ahead of the inquiring police force. Completely, delightfully evil and unexpected in its twists and turns.
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