Original Bliss
Original Bliss by A. L. Kennedy is a literary work published by National Geographic Books on January 25, 2000. This edition spans 224 pages and is presented in English. The narrative follows Helen Brindle, who grapples with emotional numbness and insomnia while trapped in an abusive marriage. Her mundane existence is disrupted when she encounters a self-help guru on television, leading her to seek answers about her life and relationships.
Readers will find a darkly comic exploration of human dynamics as Helen navigates her interactions with Edward G. Gluck, the self-help figure whose own struggles complicate their connection. The story delves into themes of obsession and the quest for contentment, revealing the complexities of love and desire. This edition invites readers to reflect on the intricacies of personal relationships and the often painful search for fulfillment.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Kennedy is a world class writer.”–The New York Times Book Review
A brilliant American debut from one of Scotland’s most acclaimed writers, named by Granta as one of the Twenty Best Young British Novelists.
Emotionally numb, crippled with insomnia, and caught in a frightening, abusive marriage, Helen Brindle believes that God has recently left her. She spends her days performing banal domestic chores in front of a blaring television. On the BBC one day she watches a self-help guru expound on, among other things, the “rules” of masturbation and the importance of “interior lives.” Edward G. Gluck, she discovers has developed a program that guides lost souls toward contentment. Helen seeks him out, hoping to find an answer. Instead she discovers Gluck’s own sadomasochistic obsession, and his profound shame and disgust. And what they both encounter, painfully, is the love each fears and both yearn to embrace.
“A darkly comic tale…. [that] is hilariously funny about sexual obsession and brilliantly perceptive about the dynamics of human relationships.”–The Baltimore Sun
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