F: A Novel
by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Janeway
Buy on AmazonHaving a profound experience on a hypnotist's stage in spite of not believing in magic, Arthur abruptly abandons his family in the middle of the night and becomes a famous author while his sons grow into men shaped by loss and doubt.
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"Long after their father heeds a hypnotist’s advice to make his most secret dreams reality and in the process abruptly deserts his wife and young sons, the three brothers, now grown — and all failures in their various professions (a priest who doesn’t believe in God; a painter who specializes in forging the work of great artists; and a financial wizard who compulsively cheats his clients) — take turns describing their particular road to self-understanding. Or not. This beautifully written, funny, savage, character-driven novel is for readers who don’t demand easy answers (or any answers at all) to hard questions."
NPR Books We Love — 2014 · apps.npr.org