PROSE FICTION eBOOKS from
CENTRETRUTHS DIGITAL MEDIA
Introducing
FALSE PRETENCES
Long Prose by John O’Loughlin
Which can be previewed via the
link
below the following Centretruths editorial:–
Originally
written by John O’Loughlin in April–May 1982, this novel has something
of a
Spring-like ebullience about it which takes us to the Norfolk
countryside and
to the stratagems of a radical writer-turned-artist by name of Jason
Crilly
(who for the most part remains veiled behind first-person narrations)
to shake
off a depression he contracted while living alone for several years in
an
insalubrious part of north London. His
wife Susan, whom he married shortly after moving to Norfolk, is avowedly
one of the stratagems in his arsenal in this respect.
Also living in Norfolk are a number of
eccentric or ironic personages who make a variety of claims on our
protagonist's time, the most conspicuous of whom is Edmond Shead, the
inventor
of an artificial copulator, who requires of him that he uses his
not-inconsiderable-artistic talents to depict this machine to graphic
effect,
thereby assisting Patrick Lyttleton, a businessman with designs on its
production,
to make a commercial success of it.
Shortly afterwards Jason renews connections with an old flame,
and this
takes him temporarily back to London where, in view of her good looks
and the
sexual dissatisfactions he has recently been feeling towards his wife,
he
allows himself to be seduced by her. Of
even greater significance, however, is the fact that Philomena has just
inherited a substantial property in the country and is anxious to move
into it
as soon as possible. But her husband,
who works in London, has no desire
to give up his job in order to move there with her, since he has good
prospects
of promotion and is temperamentally averse to the idea of living in the
country. That leaves Philomena with the
dilemma of whether to sell Blandon, her country house, or secure a
divorce from
her husband with intent to moving there with someone else.
And that puts the pressure on our protagonist
to decide whether he should leave Susan for Philomena, and hence an
even bigger
and more peacefully secluded house in which to conduct his campaign
against
depression. Fortunately for him this decision is made easier by his
secret discovery of Susan's infidelity when he returns to Norfolk,
since she is having an affair with their local doctor, and that puts
him in an easier frame-of-mind with which to return, subsequently, to
Philomena and move with her to Blandon. However, before their
separation, his wife induces him to provide her with a child, but not
exactly in the conventional manner! The good doctor suspects nothing of
the deception, however, and proceeds to marry Susan as a matter of
course. Those who esteem writers like Henry Miller and Lawrence Durrell
will probably find FALSE PRETENCES to their taste. – A Centretruths
Editorial
This prose-fiction eBook can be downloaded in both PDF (monochrome) and ePUB (polychrome)
False Pretences PREVIEW
£3.99
Email: john-oloughlin@centretruths.com
Copyright
©
2011, 2023 Centretruths Digital Media