See Now Then
A Novel

Name: See Now Then
Brand: Macmillan Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Jamaica Kincaid
ISBN: 9781427226501

Author: Jamaica Kincaid

Narrator: Jamaica Kincaid

Unabridged: 5 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Published: 02/05/2013

Categories: Fiction, Literary Fiction, World Literature, Family Life

Synopsis

In See Now Then, the brilliant and evocative new novel from Jamaica Kincaid—her first in ten years—a marriage is revealed in all it's joys and agonies. This piercing examination of the manifold ways in which the passing of time operates on the human consciousness unfolds gracefully and Kincaid inhabits each of her characters, a Mother and Father, their two children living in a small village in New England, as they move, in their own minds, between the present, the past, and the future—for, as she writes, "the present will be a now then and the past is now then and the future will be a now then." Her characters, constrained by the world, despair in their domestic situations. But their minds wander, trying to make linear sense of what is, in fact, nonlinear. See Now Then is Kincaid's attempt to make clear what is unclear, and to make unclear what we assumed was clear: that is, the beginning, the middle, and the end.

Since the publication of her first short story collection, At The Bottom Of The River, nominated for a PEN / Faulkner Award for fiction, Jamaica Kincaid has demonstrated a unique talent for seeing beyond and through the surface of things. In SEE NOW THEN, she envelops the listener in a world that is both familiar and startling—creating her most emotionally and thematically daring work yet.

About Jamaica Kincaid

Jamaica Kincaid was born in St. John’s, Antigua. Her books include At the Bottom of the River, Annie John, Lucy, The Autobiography of My Mother, My Brother, Mr. Potter, and See Now Then. She teaches at Harvard University and lives in Vermont.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Roy

This book just did not do it for me. I am a fan of Jamaica Kincaid from previous novels so my hopes and expectations were high. Even had they been low, See Now Then still would have fallen short of them. Nothing that I disliked about it is unintentional. It wasn't a case of poor execution. Kincaid w......more

Goodreads review by Matt

So I read "See Then Now" yesterday afternoon. I read it because I enjoy Jamaica's voice. I also read it because it the vast majority of the book takes place in the house I grew up in, the Shirley Jackson house. Jamaica's house was across the street. I can see how the appearance of folks from the neig......more

Goodreads review by soulAdmitted

Com'era crudele farti amare una cosa dodici volte e poi trasformarla in un'altra cosa e farti amare quella e poi trasformarla in un'altra cosa e farti amare anche quella e poi rinnovare la cosa che amavi senza dirtelo finché amerai anche quella e poi trasformarla in una cosa che avevi dimenticato e......more

Quotes

“Writers wish for perfect readers, but readers wish even harder for perfect writers and rarely find them . . . Jamaica Kincaid is about as perfect as it's possible to be.” —Carolyn See, The Washington Post

“If a voice could have a texture, Kincaid's would be that of velvet. Musically accented and richly sonorous, her tone is perfect for her latest novel, a story that alternately meanders and leaps, echoes and twists. Sometimes that velvet voice is draped over a deadly fist…Other times the velvet shines with writing that sounds more like poetry than prose. Once the author's rhythm becomes clear to the listener, her distinctive writing style is well suited to the audiobook format.” —AudioFile Magazine

“[Kincaid's] soothing Caribbean accent gives this audiobook an appropriately rhythmic and authentic feel…this audio version is read just as the author intended: in her tone, and at the proper pace, and with the proper inflection. This story is a beautiful and heart-wrenching account of a family falling to pieces as it continues to stay together, and Jamaica Kincaid succeeds in presenting it in an interesting and compelling way.” —New World Review

“Literary critics that have hailed Kincaid's fiction can add another accolade to the author's list: stellar audiobook narration. In this audio edition of her slender, long –awaited new novel, Kincaid is on secure footing as narrator, her lilting voice giving life to her prose…Kincaid's skill as a raconteur draws listeners into her story.” —Publishers Weekly

“Kincaid, who narrates, has a lovely speaking voice.” —Library Journal

“The rich, lilting rhythms of Kincaid's voice as she reads her recently published novel, about the exorcism of an unhappy marriage, take us deep inside the writer's tender heart and tropical imagination.” —More

Awards

American Book Award Winner
Hurston/Wright LEGACY Award - Finalist