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The Deck

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( 202 ratings, 29 reviews)
Brief Description
The Deck is a novel about telling stories in a time of change. What is the point of inventing stories when reality eclipses imagination? A little way off in the future, during a time of plague and profound social collapse, a group of friends escapes to... Read More
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Deck is a novel about telling stories in a time of change. What is the point of inventing stories when reality eclipses imagination?

A little way off in the future, during a time of plague and profound social collapse, a group of friends escapes to a house in the country where they entertain themselves by playing music, eating, drinking and telling stories about their lives. There are tales of thieves and pirates, deaths and a surprise birth, a freak wave, and many other stories of misadventure resulting in unexpected felicity.

The Deck borrows the motifs of Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th-century masterpiece, The Decameron, in which another small group gathered to avoid contagion and passed the time telling stories. But what is the role of fiction, this novel asks, as civilisation falters?

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781776950003

Publisher: Random House New Zealand Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 April 2023

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: Vintage New Zealand

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 414g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Fiona Farrell is one of New Zealand's leading writers. Born in Oamaru and educated at the universities of Otago and Toronto, she has published volumes of poetry, collections of short stories, non-fiction works, and many novels. Her first novel, The Skinny Louie Book, won the 1993 New Zealand Book Award for fiction. Other novels, poetry and non-fiction books have been shortlisted for the Montana and New Zealand Post Book Awards with four novels also nominated for the International Dublin IMPAC Award. In 2007 she received the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction, and in 2012 was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature. The Broken Book, a book of essays relating to the Christchurch earthquakes, was shortlisted for the non-fiction award in the 2012 Book Awards and critically greeted as the 'first major artwork' to emerge from the event. The Villa at the Edge of the Empire was also shortlisted for this award in 2016. Her work, which The New Zealand Herald has praised for its 'richness - of both theme and language', has been published around the world, including in the US, France and the UK. Beryl Fletcher praised Farrell for having '. . . the rare ability of turning the mundane events of domestic life into profound human experiences. Her writing is poetic, moving and literary.'

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