The Bloater
The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks, published by New Directions Publishing Corporation in 2022, is a literary work that explores the complexities of modern relationships through the eyes of its protagonist, Min. Set against the backdrop of 1960s London, the narrative follows Min, a sound engineer at the BBC, who grapples with her invisible marriage to George while navigating her connections with friends and lovers. The story captures her humorous and candid reflections on life, particularly her entanglement with an internationally renowned opera singer she dubs “The Bloater.”
Readers will find a vivid portrayal of family life, marriage, and the intricacies of city living as Min’s self-deprecating humor and sharp observations unfold. The Bloater delves into themes of desire and identity, presenting a unique snapshot of a woman’s experience in a bustling urban environment. With 135 pages of engaging prose, this edition invites readers to immerse themselves in Tonks’ distinctive voice and the societal nuances of the time.
Official synopsis Publisher
Why do the only men I know carry wet umbrellas and say “Umm?” I’m being starved alive. Quick: the first bookshop for a copy of the Kama-Sutra.
Min works at the BBC as a sound engineer, and in theory she’s married, but her husband George is so invisible that she accidentally turns the lights off even when he’s still in the room. Luckily, she has her friends and lovers to distract her: in Min’s self-lacerating, bracingly opinionated voice, life boils down to sex appeal–and of late she’s being courted by an internationally renowned opera singer whom she refers to as The Bloater (a swelled, salted herring). Disgusted by and attracted to him in equal measure, her dilemma–which reaches a hysterical, hilarious pitch–is whether to sleep with him or not.
Rosemary Tonks–the salt and pepper of the earth–is a writer who gets her claws into the reader with all the joy of a cat and a mouse. Vain and materialistic, tender and savage, narrated in brilliant, sparkling prose, The Bloater is the perfect snapshot of London in the 1960s.
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