Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Freelance journalist Charles Bradford, the libidinous, divorced narrator of Guy's freewheeling psychosexual romp, seems like a Casanova--until we learn that he likes to be whipped while making love and that all he really wants is to be hugged by his mommy. There's more, as well, to other characters than meets the eye. Andrea, Charles's never-monogamous girlfriend who runs a feminist bookstore, is a shrill posturer (and self-deceiver)--but when the reader discovers that Andrea's father sexually abused her during childhood, she becomes more sympathetic. Other characters of note include Charles's boisterous father, ``the Senator,'' a Pittsburgh lawyer who at first seems a perfect example of the distant parent. When he enlists his son's help in a malpractice lawsuit, the two achieve a touching reconciliation. Charles's older sister Helen, a lesbian and a psychotherapist, is also effectively drawn. Unfortunately, the narrator's narcissistic ego overwhelms a story line freighted with psychobabble, endless introspection and obligatory sex scenes. (Feb.)
The Autobiography of My Body
by David GuyView All Available Formats & Editions
Breaks new ground in its candid depiction of one mans voyage of sexual discovery. Charles Bradfords emotional homecoming sets the stage for this novel, which takes the reader on an uninhibited odyssey of mind & body. For when Charles returns to the city of his youth, the recollections of his childhood & adolescence come into focus, allowing him to confront for the… See more details below
Overview
Breaks new ground in its candid depiction of one mans voyage of sexual discovery. Charles Bradfords emotional homecoming sets the stage for this novel, which takes the reader on an uninhibited odyssey of mind & body. For when Charles returns to the city of his youth, the recollections of his childhood & adolescence come into focus, allowing him to confront for the first time the intense sexual drives that continue to haunt him after more than 20 years. He explores the depth of his sexual self with a passionate feminist, but must also confront issues of mortality while he tries to come to terms with his estranged & now ailing father.
Editorial Reviews
Library Journal - Library Journal
Recovering from a disastrous marriage, Charles Bradford returns to Pittsburgh to be near his ailing father. There he encounters Andrea, and they embark on a heated affair that causes Charles to reexamine his life. Starved of affection as a child and convinced that he has failed as an adult, Charles embraces sex as a salve for his psychic wounds. Charles's odyssey takes him into many back alleys and dead ends, but eventually forces him to confront his own emotional and sexual identity. ``I believe in talking about the life of the body,'' says Charles. ``If we don't acknowledge it, if we don't make it part of us, it poisons our lives.'' This is a novel that takes the body seriously; the sex (all heterosexual) is steamy and frequent, but never gratuitous. Though not for the prudish, this exceptional novel by the author of Football Dreams ( LJ 12/15/80) and Second Brother ( LJ 10/1/85) deserves a wide audience. Recommended.-- David Keymer, SUNY Inst. of Technology, Utica
Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9780452274532
- Publisher:
- Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
- Publication date:
- 07/01/1995
- Pages:
- 336
- Product dimensions:
- 5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.39(d)
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