Tom McCarthy’s intense life of a man steeped in the electric modernity of the early 20th century, transfixed by technologies that will obliterate him

From birth, Serge Carrefax embraces a weird world of transmissions, filled with cryptic codes and poetic signals. In adolescence, this world takes on a darker aspect. What follows is a stunning tour de force in which the eerily idyllic settings of pre-war Europe give way to the exhilarating flightpaths of the frontline aeroplane radio operator, the prison camps of Germany, the drug-fuelled London of the roaring twenties and, finally, the ancient tombs of Egypt.

Shortlisted
The Man Booker Prize 2010
Published by
Jonathan Cape
Publication date
Tom McCarthy

Tom McCarthy

About the Author

Tom McCarthy's work has been translated into more than 20 languages and adapted for cinema, theatre and radio.
More about Tom McCarthy

Other nominated books by Tom McCarthy

Satin Island