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The Unnamed Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,674 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The Unnamed is a dazzling novel about a marriage, family, and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both.
He was going to lose the house and everything in it.
The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he would lose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday.
Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigious Manhattan law firm means that the work he does is important. And, even as his daughter Becka retreats behind her guitar, her dreadlocks and her puppy fat, he offers her every one of a father's honest lies about her being the most beautiful girl in the world.
He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking.
The Unnamed is a heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted -- and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away.
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"A very good novel, but for some reason it was very slow going for the first half. Then the author finally captured my attention and I loved the remainder. A very sad love story and fascinating tale of an imaginary ailment. I will never view "homeless" men walking along the highway in the same way again."
— Tom (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Ferris shows a talent for the grotesque in his riveting descriptions of Tim’s decline. He also includes his specialty—scenes of juicy office intrigue. But what’s most engrossing in his portrait of a couple locked in an extreme version of a familiar conflict—the desire to stay together versus an inexplicable yearning to walk away.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“An unnerving portrait of a man stripped of civilization’s defenses. Ferris’ prose is brash, extravagant, and, near the end, chillingly beautiful.”
— New Yorker -
“Ferris puts his notable wit and observational ability aside in favor of a far more psychological (and ultimately physical) examination of the self…An accomplished and daring work by a writer just now realizing what he is capable of creating.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“You can’t break away from the grip of these opening chapters…Ferris usually writes in a steady, cool voice whether delivering the quotidian details of office work or existential observations about God that would otherwise sound grandiose. The effect is a terrifying portrayal of intermittent mental illness, the way the fear of relapse becomes a kind of specter, mocking each recovery and shredding any hope of a cure.”
— Washington Post -
“Ferris is wise enough not to teach a lesson. Rather, he has teased ordinary circumstances into something extraordinary, which is exactly what we want our fiction writers to do.”
— Economist -
“At once riveting, horrifying, and deeply sad, The Unnamed, like Tim’s feet, moves with a propulsion all its own. This is fiction with the force of an avalanche, snowballing unstoppable until it finally comes to rest.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“Remarkable…Ferris manages to inject a bizarre whimsy into a devastatingly sad story, with each of Tim’s outings revealing a new aspect of his marriage. The novel’s circular aspects…integrate Ferris’ themes of family, sickness, and the uncertain division between body and mind into a vastly satisfying and original book.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Dark and utterly compelling…With his devastating metaphoric take on the yearning for connection and the struggles of commitment, Ferris brilliantly channels the suburban angst of Yates and Cheever for the new millenium.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“For those skeptical of authors narrating their own works, Exhibit A for the defense might justifiably be Joshua Ferris and his engrossing second novel. …Best of all is Ferris’ perfectly rendered performance of the story’s dialogue, complete with its false starts, misunderstandings, distractions, and everything else that comprises the way we actually talk to each other. There isn’t a moment when Ferris the reader loses one’s attention to what Ferris the writer has to say.”
— AudioFile -
It's something to behold, this book...a breathtaking debut.
— Ain't It Cool News
Awards
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A 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book
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Selected for the January 2010 Indie Next List
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2010
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A Booklist Editors’ Choice: Adult Books, 2010
The Unnamed Listener Reviews
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" I really liked this book at the beginning, but the more I read, the less I liked it. Joshua Ferris is by no means a poor writer, but a quirky idea can only take you so far. I might check out his other novel, though. "
— Emily, 1/23/2014 -
" Awesome exploration of mind, relationship, and life and death. Loved it! "
— Jenny, 1/20/2014 -
" A devastating story of a man who must walk, to the detriment of his career, family, and sanity; and the wife and daughter who love and care for him. Started slowly, but ended powerfully and beautifully. Ferris's writing style is vivid and fresh, never garish. His ability to capture the most minute moments between characters and make them profound has me eager to read his first book, Then We Came To The End, as well. I would recommend The Unnamed to anyone who enjoys literature that makes them feel - frustrated, heartbroken, inspired. Thank you, Trav, for sending this to me! "
— Sarah, 1/16/2014 -
" Man, this is some book. I found this gripping from the get-go and even though the plot seems to veer into odd, unexplained tangents, it never really gets too messy to put it down. Well written and throughly enjoyable. "
— Jeannette, 1/9/2014 -
" He is a great writer and I definitely wouldn't say it was a bad book but it wasn't nearly as good as Then We Came to the End. Got a little slow towards the end. "
— Chelsea, 1/5/2014 -
" This was such a great book, but it's nearly impossible to hand-sell. "
— Emily, 12/25/2013 -
" Probably not a book that everyone will love, or even like. But this one stuck with me for several days after I finished it, and there aren't many books out there that linger like that for me. "
— Anne, 12/13/2013 -
" A deeply moving story of a man who cannot stop walking and how this compulsion impacts his family, his career, and his thought processes. Ferris has a poet's way with language and raises issues that left me too uncomfortable to recommend this book to any particular friend. "
— Kathryn, 11/19/2013 -
" It was heartbreaking, and not in the satisfying way that I'm sure I was better for having my heartbroken. I don't know how to feel. "
— Gretchen, 10/4/2013 -
" I've never read a book like this before and It kind of broke my heart. "
— Natalie, 7/31/2013 -
" Different, but good... "
— Brenda, 1/6/2013 -
" Beautifully written, but the last third got a little weird and bleak for me. "
— Michael, 10/8/2012 -
" Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. Joshua Ferris is pretty amazing. "
— Ashley, 8/25/2012 -
" I will start off by saying I hate love stories. I will continue by saying I loved this love story. I have never read something so heart-wrenchingly authentic. Sure, the metaphor and the existential absurdity of it was a little too blatant for me, but over all a solid good read. "
— Laura, 5/21/2012 -
" Joshua Ferris is an uber-talented young writer and this is his impressive second book about a man struck with a mysterious illness - he can't stop walking. While Tim Farnsworth roams the countryside of New York state, a slave to his ever-moving legs, his family life and career are in tatters. "
— Amy, 4/25/2012 -
" Heavy. Sad. Not as depressing as The Road, but close. Great writing though! "
— Dcsige, 12/25/2011 -
" Enjoyed this very much, bleak but beautiful--maybe ran a bit long, maybe central conceit is a little artificial...but it worked for me. "
— Yasmin, 12/8/2011 -
" Holy bleakness, but beautifully told and so moving... "
— Erin, 10/6/2011 -
" Ferris neatly captured aspects of law firm and well-to-do suburban life (inasmuch as my minimal experiences and exposure offered a window therein) but the overall plot didn't do much for me. "
— Seth, 8/23/2011 -
" Tim can't help but walk. This seems like a preposterous thing, but Ferris does a good job of making me believe what his main character is going through. Having just read <em>And Then We Came to the End</em>, it seems that Ferris has a real knack for writing about inner monologues. "
— Stephanie, 5/22/2011 -
" i think this may be my new favorite novel. poignant, moving, challenging. Ferris takes the imagination of the reader and makes the story real and important. fabulous. "
— Andrew, 5/20/2011 -
" Really 3.5 stars. I would have given it 4 except for the crass language. Very different book. "
— Melanie, 5/18/2011 -
" Hmm...readability, vibrant characters, incessant walking, misery from page one through to the end. I could have saved my time and just re-read The Road. Well written, but I need to go watch an old Seinfeld episode now. "
— Paul, 5/17/2011 -
" Read it in one feverish sitting, tears streaming down my face. <br/>Beautiful, profound, almost unbearably sad. <br/>Practically word-perfect. <br/>One of the best books about love I have ever read. "
— Elinor, 5/15/2011 -
" This was messy. Empathy, character development, gorgeous prose - - but wow, what a sprawl of a plot. I'm ok with ambiguity, but this was thematically unintelligible in parts. And yes, I loved "And Then We Came To The End", so my expectations were very high. "
— Caroline, 4/26/2011 -
" Kind of repetitive. Interesting inner-struggle that got bogged down with the God rage. "
— Jackson, 4/24/2011 -
" Loved this book, now dying to get my hands on his debut novel. Smart, beautiful writing, complex but totally believable characters and an utterly original story that sticks with you. "
— Jen, 4/20/2011 -
" Heartbreaking and riveting, I could not put this book down. It will be one I suggest and/or loan out to many, and I feel like I gained something by reading it, especially at this time of my life. "
— Lisa, 4/17/2011
About Joshua Ferris
Joshua Ferris is the author of three previous novels, Then We Came to the End, The Unnamed, and To Rise Again at a Decent Hour and a collection of stories, The Dinner Party. He was a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the Barnes and Noble Discover Award and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and was named one of the New Yorker's “20 Under 40” writers in 2010. To Rise Again at a Decent Hour won the Dylan Thomas Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His short stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, and Best American Short Stories. He lives in New York.