{"product_id":"the-floating-world-isbn-9781662603631","title":"The Floating World","description":"\u003cb\u003eA cautionary tale of a young, newly widowed art critic who goes to work for a mysterious billionaire determined to build a geodesic-domed paradise to shelter the rich. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFor fans of novels of Vincenzo Latronico’s \u003ci\u003ePerfection\u003c\/i\u003e and Blake Butler’s \u003ci\u003eMolly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn a remote island in the Aegean, Morel, a billionaire, is constructing a utopian community beneath a giant geodesic dome. The “Floating World” is advertised as a refuge for only the wealthiest people from the crises engulfing the planet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur protagonist is offered a job working on the spectacular art exhibition that will inaugurate this closed society. Recognizing that this is a branding exercise for ethically dubious property development, he is nonetheless attracted by the opportunity to work with an artist he once hero-worshipped—the reclusive, semi-retired Finn Reith—and to restart a life that stopped with the loss of his wife.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt first glance, the Floating World seems like a paradise, but it soon becomes clear that all is not well beneath the shimmering dome. Why is the billionaire head of the corporation ensconced in his own residence on the far side of the island, surrounded by bodyguards? Why are the workers so reluctant to speak of their experiences? Our protagonist’s gaze is distracted from these indicators of some deeper disturbance by Selima, the uncannily familiar technical director of the exhibition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Floating World \u003c\/i\u003eis a dystopia and Bildungsroman, steeped in atmosphere and sparkling with intelligence, and signals the arrival of a major new talent on the fiction scene.Ben Eastham is an art critic and editor based in London. He is editor-in-chief of art-agenda and founding editor of\u003ci\u003e The White Review\u003c\/i\u003e. His writing has been published in \u003ci\u003eArtReview\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003efrieze\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ee-flux\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, among other publications. His book, \u003ci\u003eThe Imaginary Museum\u003c\/i\u003e, was published by TLS Books in August 2020 and a book on contemporary art called \u003ci\u003eThe Shape of Things to Come\u003c\/i\u003e is forthcoming from Fitzcarraldo Editions. \u003ci\u003eThe Floating World\u003c\/i\u003e is his first novel.","brand":"Astra House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233665593573,"sku":"NP9781662603631","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-floating-world-isbn-9781662603631","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}