Classics · TenseJulian English, a car dealer in Gibbsville, undermines his own life over three days with impulsive acts
Appointment in Samarra
by John O'Hara
A well-off small-town car dealer wrecks his own life in three days
Julian English is a wealthy, college-educated, roughly 30-year-old car dealer in the social elite of Gibbsville, a fictional version of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The novel follows him over three days as he undermines his life through a series of impulsive acts. It is O'Hara's first novel. The title alludes to W. Somerset Maugham's retelling of an ancient Mesopotamian tale, which serves as the epigraph. O'Hara says it refers to "the inevitability of Julian English's death."
More about this book
Who
Julian English, a car dealer in his thirties.
World
Gibbsville, a fictional version of Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
What makes it different
The whole story takes place over three days. The epigraph is Maugham's version of an old tale about Death in Samarra.
Feel
Quick and fateful.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Appointment in SamarraWikipedia