Mr Bones: Twenty Stories

Mr Bones is a sparkling and darkly humorous collection of short stories by bestselling novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux. A family watches, horrified, as their patriarch transforms into the wise-cracking lead of an old-timey minstrel show. An art collector gleefully destroys his most valuable pieces. A young artist devotes himself to a wealthy, malicious gossip, knowing that it's just a matter of time before she turns on him. In this new collection of short stories, Paul Theroux explores the tenuous leadership of the elite and the surprising revenge of the overlooked. He shows us humanity possessed, consumed by its own desires, always with his carefully honed eye and the subtle idiosyncrasies that bring his characters to life. 'As cool as Somerset Maugham . . . as observant, intuitive, wry, inventive and eloquent as Graham Greene' Sunday Times 'Theroux is fluent, witty and almost faultlessly able to deliver a satisfying story' Melvyn Bragg 'One of the most accomplished and worldly-wise writers of his generation' The Times Paul Theroux's books include The Last Train to Zona Verde, Dark Star Safari, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Elephanta Suite, A Dead Hand, The Tao of Travel and The Lower River. The Mosquito Coast and Dr Slaughter have both been made into successful films. Paul Theroux divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian islands.

About the Author :
Paul Theroux has written many works of fiction and travel writing, including the modern classics The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, My Secret History and The Mosquito Coast. He won the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing 2020. Paul Theroux divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian islands.

Review :
Twenty delicious tales . . . from the off, this collection had me grinning. Scattered with gems infused with Theroux's international knowledge Plumbing the depths of eccentricity and violence swilling beneath the surface of ordinary American life, Theroux understands, often with devastating effect, how dramas both big and small can produce catastrophic and lasting psychological consequences Quirky, unpredictable fun and pure literary entertainment With its unsettling strangeness, precisely drawn characters and geographical sweep, Mr Bones is a psychologically complex, vastly enjoyable and nuanced collection by a writer in complete control of his art There's more than a whiff of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness about these tales, by turns savage, funny, unsettling Skilful and unsettling Mr Bones is a series of characteristically dark and sharply focused snapshots from the world that Paul Theroux has observed - and ­invented Suave and accomplished Mr Bones showcases the author's virtuoso storytelling abilities, as he tells stories of tricky situations, slippery personalities and unsettling motives Misfits and twisted individuals loom large throughout these urbane stories . . . satirically edged. Paul Theroux combines the traveller's hawk eye with the novelist's keen insight. . .[he has] an uncanny ability to rivet the reader.