Published Book or Work by:
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The Narcissist |
| Published by Times Editions/Marshall Cavendish | | 15 May 2004 |
| ISBN: 981 232 819 X | |
Waltzing from London to Paris, The Narcissist trails the life of a narcissistic young man who is increasingly emboldened to experiment with his own life. Weaving through the story are its twin themes of self-love and self-discovery.
Back in his homeland, the young and inexperienced protagonist has always lived by the rules of safety and security. The story begins at a male pageant where the central character is an ambivalent participant.
Disillusioned in love, nevertheless, he reluctantly follows his ambitious boyfriend, Julian to London for fear that their relationship may crumble. Flung into a new unfamiliar city, the boredom soon opens up a dizzying gulf teeming with choices.
In London, he makes the serendipitous acquaintance of a mysterious friend, Jen. Through their conversations, the lonely man maps out those difficult questions he faces. He slowly sees those assumptions he holds in life. These conversations represent the internal struggle of his beliefs, symbolic of the ‘I’ and ‘self’ dialectic between him and his conscience: his ‘self’ externalised and personified by Jen.
As he treads down this path of self-discovery, the Narcissist gradually develops a taste for freedom and self-gain. He soon resolves to sow the most out of a relationship as he deliberates between Julian and another man, Matthew. Determined to ascertain and only be with the ‘most worthy’ partner, he then takes his exploits to Paris where Matthew resides. The true nature of the protagonist now becomes glaring as his definition of ‘love’ blurs with ‘self-love’. For the Narcissist, the gauge of love has become whittled down to shallow measures such as how much a partner is willing to reciprocate and how long a relationship can last.
As life presents its endless opportunities only for those who dare to make a choice, the Narcissist continues to play his dangerous games. Towards the end, he even contemplates opening Pandora’s box. Maybe life is nothing but a series of gambles, he thinks, and he hopes to win.
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Contemporary
, Literary
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