Listen to a sample
The Deceptions
- Author
- Jill Bialosky
- Narrator
- Elisabeth Rodgers
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 6 September 2022
- Run Time
- 7 hours 58 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
An explosive tale of art and myth, desire and betrayal, from New York Times best-selling author Jill BialoskySomething terrible has happened and I don’t know what to do. An unnamed narrator’s life is unraveling. Her only child has left home, and her twenty-year marriage is strained. Anticipation about her soon-to-be-released book of poetry looms. She seeks answers to the paradoxes of love, desire, and parenthood among the Greek and Roman gods at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As she passes her days teaching at a boys’ prep school, spending her off-hours sequestered in the museum’s austere galleries, she is haunted by memories of a yearlong friendship with a colleague, a fellow poet struggling with his craft. As secret betrayals and deceptions come to light and rage threatens to overwhelm her, the pantheon of gods assume remarkably vivid lives of their own, forcing her to choose between reality and myth in an effort to free herself from the patriarchal constraints of the past and embrace a new vision for her future. The Deceptions is a page-turning and seductively told exploration of female sexuality and ambition as well as a human drama that dares to test the stories we tell ourselves. It is also a brilliant investigation of a life caught between the dueling magnetic poles of privacy and its appropriation in art and literature. Celebrated poet, memoirist, and novelist Jill Bialosky has reached new and daring heights in her boldest work yet.
Critics Review
-
“Captures the moment in an adult’s life when reflection leads to regret, and a desire to recapture the promise of one’s youth becomes a kind of desperation.”
Oprah Daily
-
“[An] elegantly constructed fable of trying to create while everything else falls apart.”
Millions.com
-
“A stunning tale of entitlement, betrayal, creativity, and true power.”
Booklist
-
“This clever writer was able to combine poetry, myth and betrayal, and I didn’t want this strange, dark story to end.”
Lookout Santa Cruz
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
“[An] exploration of consent and violation, sexuality and ambition…Bialosky excavates the all-too-relatable dilemma of whether to face searing realities or bury ourselves in myth.”
Bomb
-
“A deeply felt and formally original tour de force.”
Salman Rushdie, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Brings us into a world that becomes so real we cannot look away…at once mesmerizing and masterful.”
Dani Shapiro, author of Signal Fires
-
“Captures the music of marriage and the complexity of female ambition, sexual hunger, and rage.”
A. M. Holmes, author of May We Be Forgiven
-
“The Deceptions is urgent, unsettling, and utterly consuming—a triumph.”
Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jill Bialosky
- Narrator
- Elisabeth Rodgers
- Duration
- 7 hours 58 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 September 2022
- ISBN
- 9798212190657
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Family life fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Narrative theme: Love and relationships
Synopsis
An explosive tale of art and myth, desire and betrayal, from New York Times best-selling author Jill BialoskySomething terrible has happened and I don’t know what to do. An unnamed narrator’s life is unraveling. Her only child has left home, and her twenty-year marriage is strained. Anticipation about her soon-to-be-released book of poetry looms. She seeks answers to the paradoxes of love, desire, and parenthood among the Greek and Roman gods at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As she passes her days teaching at a boys’ prep school, spending her off-hours sequestered in the museum’s austere galleries, she is haunted by memories of a yearlong friendship with a colleague, a fellow poet struggling with his craft. As secret betrayals and deceptions come to light and rage threatens to overwhelm her, the pantheon of gods assume remarkably vivid lives of their own, forcing her to choose between reality and myth in an effort to free herself from the patriarchal constraints of the past and embrace a new vision for her future. The Deceptions is a page-turning and seductively told exploration of female sexuality and ambition as well as a human drama that dares to test the stories we tell ourselves. It is also a brilliant investigation of a life caught between the dueling magnetic poles of privacy and its appropriation in art and literature. Celebrated poet, memoirist, and novelist Jill Bialosky has reached new and daring heights in her boldest work yet.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.