'Asymmetry' by Lisa Halliday intertwines the lives of two compelling characters from different worlds. One part follows a young woman in an intense relationship with an older, celebrated author, exploring themes of love, power, and vulnerability. The other narrative shifts to a young Iraqi-American man detained at Heathrow Airport, grappling with uncertainty and identity. The dual perspectives create a rich tapestry of human experience, reflecting the complexities of contemporary existence. With its innovative structure and profound insights, Halliday's novel challenges readers to reflect on the asymmetries of life and connection.
By Lisa Halliday
Published: 2018
"Somewhere in the world, for every certainty, there is a counter-assertion—and the boundaries of our understanding are forever shifting, just as asymmetry shapes the very fabric of our lives."
A TIME and NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOK of the YEAR * New York Times Notable Book and Times Critic’s Top Book of 2018 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2018 BY * Elle * Bustle * Kirkus Reviews * Lit Hub* NPR * O, The Oprah Magazine * Shelf Awareness The bestselling and critically acclaimed debut novel by Lisa Halliday, hailed as “extraordinary” by The New York Times, “a brilliant and complex examination of power dynamics in love and war” by The Wall Street Journal, and “a literary phenomenon” by The New Yorker. Told in three distinct and uniquely compelling sections, Asymmetry explores the imbalances that spark and sustain many of our most dramatic human relations: inequities in age, power, talent, wealth, fame, geography, and justice. The first section, “Folly,” tells the story of Alice, a young American editor, and her relationship with the famous and much older writer Ezra Blazer. A tender and exquisite account of an unexpected romance that takes place in New York during the early years of the Iraq War, “Folly” also suggests an aspiring novelist’s coming-of-age. By contrast, “Madness” is narrated by Amar, an Iraqi-American man who, on his way to visit his brother in Kurdistan, is detained by immigration officers and spends the last weekend of 2008 in a holding room in Heathrow. These two seemingly disparate stories gain resonance as their perspectives interact and overlap, with yet new implications for their relationship revealed in an unexpected coda. A stunning debut from a rising literary star, Asymmetry is “a transgressive roman a clef, a novel of ideas, and a politically engaged work of metafiction” (The New York Times Book Review), and a “masterpiece” in the original sense of the word” (The Atlantic). Lisa Halliday’s novel will captivate any reader with while also posing arresting questions about the very nature of fiction itself.
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“Somewhere in the world, for every certainty, there is a counter-assertion—and the boundaries of our understanding are forever shifting, just as asymmetry shapes the very fabric of our lives.”
Asymmetry
By Lisa Halliday
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Lisa Halliday is an acclaimed American author known for her innovative approach to storytelling and her keen exploration of human relationships. Her debut novel, 'Asymmetry,' garnered widespread recognition and was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award. Halliday's writing often blends elements of fiction and non-fiction, creating intricate narratives that challenge conventional structures. A graduate of the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, she has also worked as an editor at an independent publishing house, further influencing her literary voice. Halliday's work is characterized by its intellectual depth and emotional resonance, earning her a distinguished place in contemporary literature.
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