The Infinities
John Banville
Feb 2010 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt
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9 hr 40 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
On a languid midsummer’s day in the countryside, old Adam Godley, a renowned theoretical mathematician, is dying. His family gathers at his bedside: his son, young Adam, struggling to maintain his marriage to a radiantly beautiful actress; his nineteen-year-old daughter, Petra, filled with voices and visions as she waits for the inevitable; their mother, Ursula, whose relations with the Godley children are strained at best; and Petra’s “young man”—very likely more interested in the father than the daughter—who has arrived for a superbly ill-timed visit.
But the Godley family is not alone in their vigil. Around them hovers a family of mischievous immortals—among them, Zeus, who has his eye on young Adam’s wife; Pan, who has taken the doughy, perspiring form of an old unwelcome acquaintance; and Hermes, who is the genial and omniscient narrator: “We too are petty and vindictive,” he tells us, “just like you, when we are put to it.” As old Adam’s days on earth run down, these unearthly beings start to stir up trouble, to sometimes wildly unintended effect. . . .
Blissfully inventive and playful, rich in psychological insight and sensual detail, The Infinities is at once a gloriously earthy romp and a wise look at the terrible, wonderful plight of being human—a dazzling novel from one of the most widely admired and acclaimed writers at work today.
But the Godley family is not alone in their vigil. Around them hovers a family of mischievous immortals—among them, Zeus, who has his eye on young Adam’s wife; Pan, who has taken the doughy, perspiring form of an old unwelcome acquaintance; and Hermes, who is the genial and omniscient narrator: “We too are petty and vindictive,” he tells us, “just like you, when we are put to it.” As old Adam’s days on earth run down, these unearthly beings start to stir up trouble, to sometimes wildly unintended effect. . . .
Blissfully inventive and playful, rich in psychological insight and sensual detail, The Infinities is at once a gloriously earthy romp and a wise look at the terrible, wonderful plight of being human—a dazzling novel from one of the most widely admired and acclaimed writers at work today.
About the author
John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He has been the recipient of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1976), the Guardian Fiction Prize (1981), the Guinness Peat Aviation Book Award (1989), and the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction (1997). He has been both shortlisted for the Booker Prize (1989) and awarded the Man Booker Prize (2005) as well as nominated for the Man Booker International Prize (2007). Other awards include the Franz Kafka Prize (2011), the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2013), and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature (2014). He lives in Dublin.
Julian Rhind-Tutt is a British actor whose stage work has included appearances at the Royal National Theatre and The Royal Court. His television roles include Pearson in The Wipers Times, Angus McCain in The Hour, Mr. Monks in the BBC's Oliver Twist, Tom Boss in Charlie Brooker’s A Touch of Cloth, as well as Dr. “Mac” Macartney in the BAFTA-winning Green Wing. Rhind-Tutt has appeared in the films Stardust, Tomb Raider, Notting Hill, The Trench, Gambit, and Rush.
Julian Rhind-Tutt is a British actor whose stage work has included appearances at the Royal National Theatre and The Royal Court. His television roles include Pearson in The Wipers Times, Angus McCain in The Hour, Mr. Monks in the BBC's Oliver Twist, Tom Boss in Charlie Brooker’s A Touch of Cloth, as well as Dr. “Mac” Macartney in the BAFTA-winning Green Wing. Rhind-Tutt has appeared in the films Stardust, Tomb Raider, Notting Hill, The Trench, Gambit, and Rush.
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