The infinities

One midsummer's day in Arden, the Godley family gather at their dying father's bedside, a collection of troubled individuals and fraying relationships.

The gods, those mischievous spirits, look on silently; unable to resist intervening, they spy, tease and seduce their mortal playthings.

Old Adam Godley's time on earth seems to be running out, and his mind runs to disquieting memories.

Little does he realize, as he lies mute but alert in the Sky Room, what mischief the gods are capable of.

Overflowing with a bawdy humor, and a deep and refreshing clarity of insight, "The Infinities" is at once a gloriously earthy romp and a delicately poised, infinitely wise look at the terrible and wonderful plight of being human.

In electrifying prose, Banville captures the aching intensity, the magic and enchantment, of a single midsummer's day in Arden.