School Of Velocity

Description: 'A hugely impressive first novel about music, friendship and obsession' David Nicholls Jan - a virtuoso pianist - is about to go on stage to perform his solo. But, once again, the music he hears in his head is not what he is supposed to be playing, and it threatens to sabotage his performance. As he struggles with this hidden anguish, he remembers his intense high school friendship with magnetic, eccentric Dirk. It began like a game, with Dirk playfully stealing Jan's first girlfriend. And it continued like a game - a friendship with an undertone of intimacy and danger. When they reunite as adults, Jan is forced to question everything.

Review: A hugely impressive first novel about music, friendship and obsession. Gripping and emotional -- David Nicholls Rubin writes with grace and exactitude, giving a tangible, animated quality to the sensual world of his story ... this is a luminous, quiet storm of a novel that resounds long after its heartbreaking coda. Guardian An elegant, synaesthetic tale ... Gatsby-like FT Overtones of Patricia Highsmith... the world of talented youth is a captivating backdrop... a very pleasant interlude Irish Times I adored this debut. It's a fascinating dissection of the power of friendship Irish Examiner The writing is poised and lyrical, with all the rhythm and some of the ache of the Faures and Debussys it dwells upon. Echoes of Gatsby are subtly embedded ... a writer to watch. Big Issue A beautifully written debut novel about obsession and repression Attitude Sophisticated European quality and intelligent writing style Nudge It's about huge and basic emotions: insecurity, friendship, need, sex. It delivers all of this in elegantly readable prose, efficient yet deeply moving. I loved it Elle Thinks (blog)





Author Biography: Eric Beck Rubin is a cultural historian who writes on architecture, literature and psychology, and this novel is his first foray into fiction. He is currently at work on a second: a family saga spanning several generations, from pre-World War II Germany to present-day Los Angeles and Western Canada. He lives in Toronto, Canada.