Edward Carey

I am writing this account, in another man's book, by candlelight, inside the belly of a fish. I have been eaten. I have been eaten, yet I am living still. 'Art objects live in the belly of this marvellous novel, images swallowed by text, sustained by a sublime and loving imagination. Like all Edward Carey's work The Swallowed Man is profound and delightful. It is a strange and tender parable of two maddening obsessions; parenting and art-making' Max Porter 'Strange and lovely' Rhik Samadder 'A beautiful and dark meditation on fatherhood, mercy, redemption and the alchemy of isolation. Strange, moving and musical, it's a delight' A. L. Kennedy From the acclaimed author of Little comes this beautiful and haunting imagining of the years Geppetto spends within the belly of a sea beast. Drawing upon the Pinocchio story while creating something entirely his own, Carey tells an unforgettable tale of fatherly love and loss, pride and regret, and of the sustaining power of art and imagination.

The Swallowed Man

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE "Profound and delightful. . . . A strange and tender parable of two maddening obsessions; parenting and art-making." --Max Porter, author of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny The ingenious storyteller Edward Carey returns to reimagine a time-honored fable: the story of an impatient father, a rebellious son, and a watery path to forgiveness for the young man known as Pinocchio In the small Tuscan town of Collodi, a lonely woodcarver longs for the companionship of a son. One day, "as if the wood commanded me," Giuseppe--better known as Geppetto--carves for himself a pinewood boy, a marionette he hopes to take on tour worldwide. But when his handsome new creation comes magically to life, Geppetto screams . . . and the boy, Pinocchio, leaps from his arms and escapes into the night. Though he returns the next day, the wily boy torments his father, challenging his authority and making up stories--whereupon his nose, the very nose his father carved, grows before his eyes like an antler. When the boy disappears after one last fight, the father follows a rumor to the coast and out into the sea, where he is swallowed by a great fish--and consumed by guilt. He hunkers in the creature's belly awaiting the day when he will reconcile with the son he drove away. With all the charm, atmosphere, and emotional depth for which Edward Carey is known--and featuring his trademark fantastical illustrations--The Swallowed Man is a parable of parenthood, loss, and letting go, from a creative mind on a par with Gregory Maguire, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Burton.

Lara Engle

This is a weird little book, but I loved it. There are small illustrations sprinkled throughout, detailing Joseph's experiences throughout his life, before and after he creates the little wooden boy. The reader is left wondering whether Pinocchio is a blessing or a monster, or whether he is even real. What is definitely real is the tragedy of Giuseppe's life and the certainty of his diminishing grasp of reality.

Jayme Bosio

What the **** did I just listen to? A bizarre retelling of Pinocchio as seen through Geppetto’s eyes. I didn’t hate it, but it has left me feeling unsettled. Is that a bad thing? These days...kind of. If you read it, get the paperback not the audiobook because there are illustrations.

The Swallowed Man

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