This is the story of Arno Strine, a modest temporary typist, who has perfected the knack of stopping time in its tracks and taking women's clothes off. He is hard at work on his autobiography, The Fermata, which proves in the telling to be a very provocative, very funny and altogether morally confused piece of work.
Lots of nakedness, quite a few surprises. His novels have the brazen, daring timidity of love letters you know you'll never post
The book is bursting with sex and beauty, wound together profoundly and pornographically. It is bountifully Rabelasisan and intensely refined. I have never read anything quite like it. Misogynists will definitely not like
The Fermata; there is not one iota of violence towards or contempt for women in this book. Wildly exhilarating and confirming.
The Fermata should be celebrated
Witty, dry and thought-provoking, a great addition to Baker's unique observatory of contemporary life
Born in 1957 Nicholson Baker is the author of several acclaimed novels;
A Box of Matches,
Vox and
The Fermata as well as essays, including the campaigning
Double Fold for which the
New York Times called him 'the Erin Brokovich of the library world'.