| The Infinities | |
| Author: | John Banville |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Novel, Alternate History |
| Publisher: | Picador |
| Release Date: | 4 September 2009 |
| Media Type: | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages: | 256 pp |
| Isbn: | 978-0-330-45024-9 |
| Oclc: | 373479667 |
| Preceded By: | The Sea |
The Infinities is a 2009 novel by John Banville.
The book involves a reunion of the Godley family as the family patriarch, Adam, lies in a coma on his deathbed. The book takes place in an alternative reality with the world powered by cold fusion and steam trains are still in use. His family, consisting of Adam his son (and Adam's wife Helen), his daughter Petra and his wife Ursula are present at this reunion. The story is narrated by the god Hermes, who dictates how the story will unfold along with his father Zeus and his mother Maia.[1]
Banville intended The Infinities as a faithful adaptation of the play Amphitryon by the German playwright Heinrich von Kleist. The novel did not turn out quite like this though - "I kept the Skeleton, but fiction always goes in its own direction."[2]
The Infinities, Banville's first novel under his own name since 2005, was well received and seen to fit naturally into his oeuvre. Culture Critic assessed critical response as an aggregated score of 70% based on British press reviews.[3] The book received a 83% from The Lit Review based on 31 critic reviews and the consensus of the reviews being," A novel that requires great focus to appreciate the beautiful prose and magic contained within."[4] In Bookmarks May/June 2010 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (3.5 out of 5) with the summary stating, "Banville's modern-day retelling, however, with all its conceits of the classical gods' ability (or inability) to impersonate humans and its celestial-earthly humor, met with dissent from critics".[5] Globally, Complete Review saying on the consensus "Mixed -- though practically everyone thinks Banville had a good time with it".[6]
"In the 1980s, Banville challenged his readers to imagine a Nabokov novel based on the life of a Gödel or an Einstein," wrote Irish literary critic Val Nolan in The Sunday Business Post. "The Infinities is finally that book. Old Adam's lineage runs through Oppenheimer, Hilbert, Brahe, Kepler, and hence to Banville's so-called Revolutions Trilogy of science novels."[7]