Pisces

About the Book

The Pisces by Melissa Broder is a contemporary literary novel that combines psychological realism, dark humour and surreal fantasy.

The story follows Lucy, a PhD student whose long-term relationship ends while she is struggling to complete her dissertation on the Greek poet Sappho. Her sister sends her to Venice Beach for the summer, where Lucy is expected to look after a diabetic dog and try to recover from the emotional turmoil of her breakup.

Lucy and the Merman

While staying in Venice Beach, Lucy meets an unusually attractive swimmer who appears on the rocks one night. Their relationship develops into an intense and obsessive romance, but Lucy eventually discovers that he is a merman.

The fantastical relationship becomes a way for Lucy to confront her ideas about love, desire, loneliness and emotional dependence. The novel moves between everyday life and the surreal as Lucy attempts to understand what she wants and what her unusual relationship means.

Literary Fiction, Fantasy and Obsession

Broder combines elements of fairy tale and contemporary literary fiction with a story about romantic obsession and emotional vulnerability. Lucy's academic interest in Sappho also adds a literary dimension to the novel, while the Venice Beach setting provides a contrast between ordinary life and the fantastical world she encounters.

The novel explores love, sex, loneliness, addiction, desire, self-worth and the difficulty of separating fantasy from reality.

Key Features

Author: Melissa Broder; Contemporary literary fiction; Dark humour and surreal fantasy; Venice Beach setting; Features a merman and a contemporary romance; Themes of love, desire, obsession and loneliness; Inspired in part by Sappho and classical mythology; Hardcover edition.

Who Is It For?

This novel is suitable for adult readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction with surreal, psychological and fantastical elements. It may particularly appeal to readers interested in unconventional romance, modern mythology, dark humour and stories that explore complicated relationships.

Product Details

Author: Melissa Broder; Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing UK; Publication Date: 3 May 2018; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 288; ISBN: Verify against physical copy; Language: English.

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