ReviewsPraise forThe Game of Opposites "Ambitious. . . . A thought-provoking and complex look at one man's Hamlet-like moral dilemma." -Gordon Weaver,Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Norman Lebrecht is an original writer concerned with large moral questions, and admirably skeptical of accepted truths about human behavior and motivation.The Game of Oppositespushes the reader beyond the simplistic safety zone of moral category (good, evil; moral, immoral) into complex, dramatically compelling terrain. Reading this novel is like hearing a familiar song in a startling new voice." -John Burnham Schwartz, author ofThe CommonerandReservation Road "A compelling and deeply human novel of ideas that examines the toll of World War II, fascism, and the Holocaust. It is a tale of simple survival and, more importantly, a meditation on good, evil, guilt, love, rage, and the panoply of emotions that roil the lives of survivors. Unforgettable." -Booklist(starred review) Praise forThe Song of Names "Delightful. . . . Reveals an author full of knowledge, invention and passion. . . . A lovely book." -The Telegraph(London) "Touching. . . . A good read." -St Louis Post-Dispatch "The Song of Nameshas many virtues. Lebrecht can write beautifully. He invokes large issues: virtuosity, the Holocaust, and tribalism." -The New York Times Book Review "Lebrecht's writing soars." -The Economist "Conjured with exceptional vividness. . . . Musical influences and imagery run like a watermark through the prose." -Evening Standard(London) "Two insular worlds-classical music and Hasidic Judaism-are put under the microscope in this lively novel. . . . [Lebrecht writes] with the calm and steady touch of a concert pianist." -Entertainment Weekly, Advance Praise forThe Game of Opposites "Lebrecht is an original writer concerned with large moral questions and admirably skeptical of accepted truths about human behavior and motivation.The Game of Oppositespushes the reader beyond the simplistic safety zone of moral category (good, evil: moral, immoral) into complex, dramatically compelling terrain. Reading this novel is like hearing a familiar song in a startling new voice." -John Burnhan Schwartz, author ofThe CommonerandReservation Road Praise forThe Song of Names "Delightful. . . reveals an author full of knowledge, invention and passion. . . . A lovely book." -The Telegraph(London) "Touching . . . A good read." -St Louis Post-Dispatch "The Song of Nameshas many virtues. Lebrecht can write beautifully. He invokes large issues: virtuosity, the Holocaust, and tribalism." -The New York Times Book Review "Lebrecht's writing soars." -The Economist "Conjured with exceptional vividness. . . . Musical influences and imagery run like a watermark through the prose." -Evening Standard(London) "Two insular worlds-classical music and Hasidic Judaism-are put under the microscope in this lively novel. . . [Lebrecht writes] with the calm and steady touch of a concert pianist. -Entertainment Weekly
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SynopsisFrom the author of the award-winning "The Song of Names" comes a powerful new work that explores the reverberations of both love and hate in the story of one man's unlikely survival., From the author ofThe Song of Names(winner of the 2003 Whitbread First Novel Award): a powerful new novel that explores the reverberations of both love and hate in the story of one man's unlikely survival. In an unnamed country near the end of a world war, Paul Miller escapes from a labor camp, collapsing after running only a few hundred feet. He is taken in by a young woman named Alice, and by the time she has nursed him back to health, the war has ended. With no one to return to and learning to love the woman who saved him, Paul decides to stay where he is. Over time he marries Alice, has a family, helps to rebuild the village, and, eventually, becomes its mayor. But Paul is inescapably haunted by his life before the war, by his time in the camp, and by the fact that the people who are now his friends ignored for years the labor camp in their midst. When the camp's commander returns to the village, Paul is at last faced with the moral dilemma that will force him to choose between vengeance and forgiveness. The Game of Oppositestells a universal tale of good and evil with extraordinary humanity and poignancy. It is a stunning evocation of the capability for both in all of us. From the Hardcover edition.
LC Classification NumberPR6112.E27G36 2009