{"product_id":"the-parasite-9780857427403","title":"The Parasite","description":"Marked by powerful and evocative prose, Ferenc Barn s's novel tells the fascinating story of a young man's journey through his strange obsessions towards possible recovery. The unnamed narrator is the parasite, feeding off others' ailments, but he is also a host who attracts people with the most peculiar manias. He confesses, almost amiably, his decadent attraction as a young adolescent to illnesses and hospitals. The real descent into his private, hallucinatory hell begins after his first sexual encounter; he becomes a compulsive masturbator, and then a compulsive fornicator. But to his horror, he realizes that casual sex is not casual at all for him--each one-night stand results in insane jealousy: he imagines previous lovers hovering over him every time he makes love to a woman. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When he gets to know a woman referred to as L., he thinks his demons may have finally subsided. But when he hears of her past, the jealousy returns. He seeks relief through writing--by weaving an imagined tale of L.'s amorous adventures. What will he do with this strange manuscript, and can it bring him healing? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A breathtaking blend of Dostoevskian visions, episodes of madness, and intellectual fervor, all delivered in precise, lucid prose, \u003ci\u003eThe Parasite\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel that one cannot escape. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Seagull Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/14\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780857427403\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.30d","brand":"Ferenc Barn\u0026#225;s","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38021544181941,"sku":"9780857427403","price":25.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_6f848f26-5325-4c93-8138-495b04f46468.jpg?v=1609178939","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-parasite-9780857427403","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}