The Swallowed Man

A Novel

By: Edward Carey

Narrated by: Edward Carey

“Profound and delightful.... A strange and tender parable of two maddening obsessions; parenting and art-making.” (Max Porter, author of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny)

The ingenious storyteller Edward Carey returns to reimagine a time-honored fable: the story of an impatient father, a rebellious son, and a watery path to forgiveness for the young man known as Pinocchio

In the small Tuscan town of Collodi, a lonely woodcarver longs for the companionship of a son. One day, "as if the wood commanded me", Giuseppe - better known as Geppetto - carves for himself a pinewood boy, a marionette he hopes to take on tour worldwide. But when his handsome new creation comes magically to life, Geppetto screams...and the boy, Pinocchio, leaps from his arms and escapes into the night. Though he returns the next day, the wily boy torments his father, challenging his authority and making up stories - whereupon his nose, the very nose his father carved, grows before his eyes like an antler. When the boy disappears after one last fight, the father follows a rumor to the coast and out into the sea, where he is swallowed by a great fish - and consumed by guilt. He hunkers in the creature's belly awaiting the day when he will reconcile with the son he drove away.

With all the charm, atmosphere, and emotional depth for which Edward Carey is known, The Swallowed Man is a parable of parenthood, loss, and letting go, from a creative mind on a par with Gregory Maguire, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Burton.

©2020 Edward Carey (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Inspired.... a riff on the entwined themes of fatherhood and creative spark.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“No Disney fairy tale, this is an illustrated, literary, poignantly erudite study in anguish, guilt, madness, soul-searching, and eventual redemption.” (Booklist)

“A deep and grimly whimsical exploration of what it means to be a son, a father, and an artist.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Superb, but also a bit meandering.

I really, really loved this. As a piece of art, it is perfection. The voice is perfect. The performance (by the author!!) is also perfection.

My only issue is that it never feels like it’s going anywhere. Which is sort of the point and I understand why it’s like that. But it also makes a 5 hour story feel much longer than that at times.

Still, a very, very worthwhile listen. Give it a shot!