Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Biography, Literature & Literary studies
Weblink
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THE MEASURE OF DARKNESS

Liam Durcan

The Measure of Darkness is the story of two brothers, Martin and Brendan Fallon, who have been estranged for years and have now suddenly been reunited in the aftermath of a car accident that has left Martin with a brain injury.

Martin, an acclaimed architect, emerges from a coma after a roadside accident to find his world transformed: not only has the commission of a lifetime been taken from him, but his injury has left him with “neglect syndrome,” a loss of spatial awareness that has rendered him unfit to practice and unable to recognize the extent of his illness. Despite support from his formerly estranged brother and two grown daughters, his paranoia builds, alienating those closest to him. His only solace is found in the parallels he draws between himself and gifted Soviet-era architect Konstantin Melnikov, who survived Stalin’s disfavor by retreating into obscurity. As Martin retraces Melnikov’s life and his own fateful decisions, he becomes increasingly unsettled, until the discovery of the harrowing truth about the night of his accident hurtles him toward a deadly confrontation.

A gripping journey into the depths of a fractured mind, The Measure of Darkness is ultimately a resonant tale of resilience and healing.

Liam Durcan is the author of two novels, The Measure of Darkness (forthcoming from Bellevue Literary Press) and García’s Heart, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and recipient of the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel Award. He lives in Montreal, Quebec, where he works as a neurologist at McGill University.

Available products
Book Published 2016-03-15 by Bellevue Literary Press
Book Published 2016-03-15 by Bellevue Literary Press

Comments

Durcan takes us right into the nub of the neuroscientific conception of the self.

A deft exploration of the heart and mind that offers the pathos of a Sam Shepard play nested within the unreliable storytelling of Christopher Nolan's Memento.

What prompts an honorable man to commit unspeakable acts? That’s one of many moral conundrums considered in Durcan’s compelling debut... Durcan renders satisfyingly complex characters in sharp, vivid prose. García’s Heart beats with a riveting blend of science and suspense, perfect for fans of David Baldacci.

The Measure of Darkness seems, at first, to be about the mysterious odyssey and follies of a man with a rare neurological syndrome in which the victim cannot perceive half of the world, and worse, doesn’t know he can’t perceive it. Yet, as Liam Durcan’s acutely observed, powerfully poetic prose—which can be sensitive or steely—builds to a gut-wrenching finale, we realize that this man is a metaphor for each of us and we are all haunted by the things we don’t know we don’t know.

[Durcan’s] work at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital brings him into regular contact with neglect-afflicted patients, and in his second novel he puts what he has observed to great literary use, creating a complex, maddening and memorable protagonist whose struggle resonates well beyond his specific circumstance. Read more...

[Durcan] has firmly ensconced himself within the hallowed ranks of doctors making successful forays into literature, a line running straight from Chekhov through William Carlos Williams and W. Somerset Maugham.

[Durcan] already writes with an ease reminiscent of Graham Greene.