The Loved One
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh, published by Little, Brown on December 11, 2012, is a 176-page work that explores the cultural nuances of 1940s California through a satirical lens. The narrative follows Dennis Barlow, a poet and mortician, as he navigates the surreal environment of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park after the death of a friend. Within this artificial paradise, Waugh presents a critique of American attitudes toward death, wrapped in the absurdities of the Hollywood lifestyle.
Readers will encounter a darkly humorous tale that delves into themes of love, reputation, and mortality. As Dennis becomes entangled in a peculiar love triangle with Aimée Thanatogenos, a naïve beautician, and Mr. Joyboy, an embalmer, the story unfolds to reveal the complexities of human relationships in a commodified world. This edition of The Loved One offers a rich exploration of satire and literary fiction, inviting readers to reflect on the intersections of life and death in a uniquely American context.
Official synopsis Publisher
“A work of art as rich and subtle and unnerving as anything its author has ever done” (New Yorker), The Loved One is Evelyn Waugh’s cutting satire of 1940s California and the Anglo-American cultural divide.
Following the death of a friend, the poet and pets’ mortician Dennis Barlow finds himself entering the artificial Hollywood paradise of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park. Within its golden gates, death, American-style, is wrapped up and sold like a package holiday–and Dennis gets drawn into a bizarre love triangle with Aimée Thanatogenos, a naïve Californian corpse beautician, and Mr. Joyboy, a master of the embalmer’s art. Waugh’s dark and savage satire depicts a world where reputation, love, and death cost a very great deal.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “The Loved One” about?
Who is the author of “The Loved One”?
When was “The Loved One” published?
What is the ISBN for “The Loved One”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
