10:04 : a novel

Shortlisted for the Folio PrizeInternationally celebrated by critics and readers alikeA dazzling and utterly original novel about making art, love, and children during the twilight of an empireIn the past year, the narrator of 10:04 has enjoyed unexpected literary success, been diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition, and been asked by his best friend to help her conceive a child.

Now, in a New York of increasingly frequent superstorms and political unrest, he must reckon with his biological mortality, the possibility of a literary afterlife, and the prospect of (unconventional) fatherhood in a city that might soon be under water. In prose that Jonathan Franzen has called 'hilarious... cracklingly intelligent... and original in every sentence', Lerner's new novel charts an exhilarating course through the contemporary landscape of sex, friendship, memory, art and politics, and captures what it is like to be alive right now. 'Brilliant... Contemplative and tender... I doubt I'll read a finer novel this year' - Sunday Telegraph'Reading Ben Lerner gives me the tingle at the base of my spine that happens whenever I encounter a writer of true originality.

He is a courageous, immensely intelligent artist who panders to no one and yet is a delight to read.

Anyone interested in serious contemporary literature should read Ben Lerner, and 10:04 is the perfect place to start' - Jeffrey Eugenides, author of The Marriage Plot