From John Banville, one of the world's greatest writers, comes The Blue Guitar,
a story of theft and the betrayal of friendship. Adultery is always put in terms
of thieving. But we were happy together, simply happy.
Oliver Orme used to b
e a painter, well known and well rewarded, but the muse has deserted him. He is
also, as he confesses, a petty thief; he does not steal for gain, but for the th
rill of it. HIs worst theft is Polly, the wife of his friend Marcus, with whom h
e has had an affair.
When the affair is discovered, Oliver hides himself away
in his childhood home. From here he tells the story of a year, from one autumn
to the next. Many surprises and shocks await him, and by the end of his story, h
e will be forced to face himself and seek a road towards redemption.
