Synopses & Reviews
T., an acclaimed but ageing actor, and Efina, a passionate theatergoer, are engaged in an obsessive love affair that careens from attraction to repulsion. They compulsively write lettersoften to express their intense dislike of one anotherwhich are sent or unsent, answered or unanswered. They meet, they break up, they marry, and they get divorced. They neither can live with nor without one another, and this impossible state of affairs lasts all their lives. In-between, there are other men and many other women, but throughout, the magic of the theater and the art of make-believe endure.
Efina is a tumultuous novel about art, love, disdain, and above allobsessiontold in a quirky, highly original style. Nöelle Revaz brings us an unapologetically dysfunctional yet honest relationship, detailing outrageous thoughts and absurd behaviors in clear and precise prose. What could have been a sad tale of failed love is delightfully transformed by Revaz into a masterpiece of dark humor.
Synopsis
T., an acclaimed but ageing actor, and Efina, a passionate theatre-goer, are engaged in an obsessive love affair characterized by reciprocal attraction and repulsion. They compulsively write letters (often to express their intense dislike of the other), which are sent or unsent, answered or unanswered; they meet, they break up, they marry, but only for a brief period. They can live neither with nor without one another, and this impossible state of affairs lasts all their lives. In between, there are other men, many other womenand a whole succession of dogs. And always, to the very end, the magic of the theatre, the art of make-believe and sham will be embodied by T., a preposterous man but a sublime artist.
Efina is a novel about obsession, told in a quirky, highly original style. Obsessive thoughts and behaviours are detailed in flat, clear prose and followed to their absurd limit, so that what could have been a sad tale of failed love is transformed into a small masterpiece of dark humour.
About the Author
Nöelle Revaz's