Description

Evoking such classics as Elmer Gantry and The Day of the Locust William Giraldis About Face boldly transfers the perennial literary themes of celebrity ambition and obsession to twentyfirstcentury Boston There we meet Val Face a charismatic selfhelp guru who captivates multitudes with his uncanny ability to heal adherents using only the power of his words the mysterious touch of his hands and the transcendent beauty of his face

Assigned to write a profile of Val Face during his muchhyped New England tour thirtyyearold impoverished journalist Seger Jovi pens a brutal hatchet job But Seger at once curious and incredulous is soon sucked into the mystics vortex of fame becoming a devotee himself as he contends with the machinations and absurdities of Faces many protectors from beefcake bodyguards to helicoptering handlers to Faces unwavering spouse Nimble At first unwilling to sacrifice his principles to fulfill his own ambition and rise from privation then touched by Faces unexpected humanity Seger oscillates between acting as Faces cynical foil and becoming his unlikely ally

With its indelible array of characters hypnotic pacing and shocking conclusion About Face is a novel in the grand tradition that dances along the tenuous line between the sacred and the profane