Desirable Body
Hubert Haddad author Alyson Waters translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Yale University Press
Published:16th Oct '18
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A medical mystery/fantasy/love story that delves into the nature of consciousness while raising the ethical and existential issues facing scientists today
A contemporary Frankenstein that defies expectations, this is a thrilling novel about a journalist, Cédric Allyn-Weberson, who suffers a horrific accident, paralyzing him from the neck down. An ideal candidate for a body transplant, Cédric survives the surgery but has both physical and existential trouble with his recovery and adaptation: encountering his lover with a new body, discovering the life history of his donor, and attempting to understand the mind-body relationship as he lives it.
Haddad explores the confusion and insignificance of a single consciousness before experience and identity: What is a head without a body? What or who is a lover with another’s body? The gruesome transplant (detailed in a manner that highlights the author’s diligent research and comprehension) parallels other ways humanity mutates nature globally. The novel is a provocative and timely allegory—a work of dystopian fantasy.
“[Desirable Body] updates Mary Shelley’s monster with today’s biotechnological wonders. . . . Real and disturbing questions emerge about how scientific advances exacerbate our yearning for immortality.”—New Yorker
“Desirable Body is about more than one decapitated man’s unusual plight; it’s about how surprisingly little our choices have to do with our feelings and passions. A farce, then, and a sharp one: it’s funny to contemplate, but if you fell into its toils for a second, you’d die screaming in horror.”—Simon Ings, The Guardian
Praise for the French edition:
“This novel raises terribly timely ethical and existential questions in an atmosphere of ceaseless suspense.”—Mémoire des Arts
“Hubert Haddad’s limpid and realistic prose is captivating.”—Terra Eco
“In book after book, Hubert Haddad proves the seriousness and importance of his work.”—Yves Viollier, La vie
“Once again [Hubert Haddad] confirms the multifaceted dimension of his talent in this mesmerizing tale where the unimaginable is imagined and the inconceivable is conceived.”—La croix
“Desirable Body is as surprising as it is masterful.”—La Montagne
ISBN: 9780300224368
Dimensions: 197mm x 127mm x 14mm
Weight: 263g
232 pages