Mr. Bones - by Paul Theroux (Paperback)

About the Book

A dark and bitingly humorous collection of short stories from the brilliantly evocative Paul Theroux (Time)

Book Synopsis

"Suave and accomplished . . . [The stories] are unsettling, resistant to tidy denouement and faintly misanthropic." -- Washington Post

"Beneath the deceptive elegance of these stories, land mines lurk, and Theroux detonates them with gusto." -- O, the Oprah Magazine

A family watches their patriarch transform into the singing, wisecracking lead of an old-timey minstrel show. An art collector publicly destroys his most valuable pieces. Two boys stand by as their father wages war on the raccoons living under their house. In this new collection, acclaimed author Paul Theroux shows us humanity possessed, consumed by compulsive desire, always with his carefully honed eye for detail and the subtle idiosyncrasies that bring his characters to life. Searing, dark, and sure to unsettle, Mr. Bones is a stunning display of Theroux's "fluent, faintly sinister powers of vision and imagination" (The New Yorker).

"Fans of Theroux's fiction will be pleased to observe, in the twenty stories collected in Mr. Bones, clear evidence of how little he has mellowed over time . . . Mr. Bones is a series of characteristically dark and sharply focused snapshots from the world that Paul Theroux has observed--and invented." -- Francine Prose, New York Times Book Review

From the Back Cover

Suave and accomplished . . . [The stories] are unsettling, resistant to tidy denouement and faintly misanthropic. Washington Post

Beneath the deceptive elegance of these stories, land mines lurk, and Theroux detonates them with gusto. O, the Oprah Magazine

A family watches their patriarch transform into the singing, wisecracking lead of an old-timey minstrel show. An art collector publicly destroys his most valuable pieces. Two boys stand by as their father wages war on the raccoons living under their house. In this new collection, acclaimed author Paul Theroux shows us humanity possessed, consumed by compulsive desire, always with his carefully honed eye for detail and the subtle idiosyncrasies that bring his characters to life. Searing, dark, and sure to unsettle, Mr. Bones is a stunning display of Theroux s fluent, faintly sinister powers of vision and imagination (The New Yorker).

Fans of Theroux s fiction will be pleased to observe, in the twenty stories collected in Mr. Bones, clear evidence of how little he has mellowed over time . . . Mr. Bones is a series of characteristically dark and sharply focused snapshots from the world that Paul Theroux has observed and invented. Francine Prose, New York Times Book Review

PAUL THEROUX is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include The Lower River and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star and Dark Star Safari. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod."

Review Quotes

"Theroux's work is like no one else's...A writer sees what he sees, imagines what he imagines. 'Mr. Bones' is a series of characteristically dark and sharply focused snapshots from the world that Paul Theroux has observed - and invented." -Francine Prose, New York Times Book Review "Beneath the deceptive elegance of these stories, land mines lurk, and Theroux detonates them with gusto." --O Magazine "A Theroux story can be a mesmerizing reading experience. It is hard to put him down when he is on a roll...Enticing...[Theroux's] far-flung adventures and captivating accounts from many of the world's most intriguing, least understood outposts add depth and richness to the material here.This collection is another feast, and many readers will enjoy a prolonged chew on 'Mr. Bones.'" --Associated Press "Deliciously dark." --Minneapolis Star-Tribune "A sinister short-story collection from an established master." --Shelf Awareness "Theroux has become a master of the form, with a deep capacity to engage, enchant, and unsettle . . . In the same way he makes exotic locales worth visiting, Theroux inspires you to wonder what you're overlooking when encountering friends, neighbors, and strangers alike. A versatile, prolific author asserts his preeminence in short fiction with an unassuming brilliance that almost makes you think stories will become popular again." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Rich in the details of exotic places . . . all are highly entertaining . . . This excellent new collection allows readers to sample an array of -Theroux's most entertaining fiction in short story form; highly recommended." -- Library Journal "Notes of Theroux's famed travel writing . . . The final product is a hefty, remarkably diverse batch of stories colored by Theroux's prolific taste for exploration." -- Publishers Weekly --

About the Author

PAUL THEROUX is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include The Lower River and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star and Dark Star Safari.