Description

An explosive tale of art and myth desire and betrayal from New York Times bestselling author Jill BialoskySomething terrible has happened and I dont know what to do An unnamed narrators life is unraveling Her only child has left home and her twentyyear marriage is strained Anticipation about her soontobereleased book of poetry looms She seeks answers to the paradoxes of love desire and parenthood among the Greek and Roman gods at the Metropolitan Museum of Art As she passes her days teaching at a boys prep school spending her offhours sequestered in the museums austere galleries she is haunted by memories of a yearlong friendship with a colleague a fellow poet struggling with his craft As secret betrayals and deceptions come to light and rage threatens to overwhelm her the pantheon of gods assume remarkably vivid lives of their own forcing her to choose between reality and myth in an effort to free herself from the patriarchal constraints of the past and embrace a new vision for her future The Deceptions is a pageturning and seductively told exploration of female sexuality and ambition as well as a human drama that dares to test the stories we tell ourselves It is also a brilliant investigation of a life caught between the dueling magnetic poles of privacy and its appropriation in art and literature Celebrated poet memoirist and novelist Jill Bialosky has reached new and daring heights in her boldest work yet