Love May Fail

Matthew Quick

16 June 2016
9781447247548
416 pages

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook.

'Brilliant . . . compulsively readable . . . Love May Fail is as wholly transporting as any cinematic experience' GQ

Portia Kane has escaped her cheating husband only to find herself back at square one, living with her mum in a place she thought she'd left behind forever. Lost and alone, looking to find the goodness she believes still exists in the world, Portia sets off to save herself by saving someone else - a beloved high school English teacher who has retired after a traumatic incident.

Can Chuck, the handsome brother of Portia's old school friend, together with a sassy nun and a metal-head little boy, help Portia's chances in her bid for renewed hope in the human race?

Moving and funny, Love May Fail by Matthew Quick is about the heartache and daring choices it takes to become the person you know deep down you are meant to be.

Brilliant . . . compulsively readable . . . a plot that keeps you guessing . . . The emotional authenticity of his characters and their pitch-perfect Philly dialogue make it little wonder that his entire back catalogue has been optioned. But you don't need to wait for the film: Love May Fail is as wholly transporting as any cinematic experience. The blackly comic, quicksand tone of Vonnegut might be the presiding spirit, but Matthew Quick has a uniquely rewarding voice and one that, for his native Philadelphia, is creating a space in contemporary fiction all of its own.
A complex and thought-provoking American comedy about love and the meaning of life
Quick excels at writing what he knows, and making readers feel intimately connected to his characters. Love May Fail also reflects his mastery of devising humorous dialogue, interlaced with rabid vulgarity. "The truth will set you free," Portia furiously states at one point "But first it will piss you off." Once a high-school English teacher himself, the author captures how painful it is to have a misguided student and feel powerless to help them. Portia recalls how Nate would end each school year optimistically by handing his students personalized Official Member of the Human Race cards, encouraging them to "make daring choices, work hard, enjoy the ride, and remember-you become exactly whomever you choose to be." You can almost see the movie poster now.

Books by Matthew Quick