a to z
The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
Ambrose Zephyr is told at his annual physical that he has only 30 days to live. He's only around 50 years old, and his adording wife Zappora "Zipper" Ashkenazi is slightly younger. The couple both live and work in London. She writes a literary column in a fashion magazine and he's at a small advertising agency. With only a month left together, work seems pointless, and life's adventures shortened. Ambrose decides to set off on an A to Z journey to visit places around the world, in alphabetical order, and Zipper joins him as they search for meaning in their final journey. A is for Amsterdam, B is for Berlin, C is for Chartres, D is for Deauville, E may be for Elba or Eiffel Tower. As Ambrose and Zipper revisit places they have been before, their pilgrimage leads to new discoveries about each other.
Given the plot, it is suprising to discover that this is not a book about travel, but instead an intimate story about exploring a relationship and a marriage. In a little over a hundred pages, CS Richardson uses carefully chosen words to create an intense and private glimpse of the End of the Alphabet.
This beautiful short novel will delight book clubs and solitary readers alike.
119 pages.
posted by Lissa at
4:23 PM
1 Comments:
I just checked this book before it circulates (here the Ref Librarians have to check each record's bib before books go out--we have to double-check the catalogers) and when I first read your review, I was nearly as saddened as I should have been, as I am now after reading the inside cover of the book. This is so sad and I just want you tell me that in the end, the doctors were wrong and he gets to live a long life with his wife. But I know you are too good of a friend to spoil the ending for me!
4:18 PM
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