Idiopathy: A Novel
In this debut novel, UK-based Byers tells a woefully funny story of dysfunctional friendships and social anxiety during a bovine epidemic in England. Byers intertwines the lives of two former lovers—depressed, reckless Katherine and the “successful” PR man Daniel—who find themselves forced to reunite when their estranged mate Nathan, scarred, tattooed, and freshly sober, emerges from psychiatric rehabilitation. The trio’s climactic encounter is terribly awkward and totally absurd, and includes at least one diseased sow. Byers writes with caustic humor and takes no small joy in his characters’ sufferings, similar in ways to Jonathan Franzen at his finest. Likewise, readers keen on Joseph O’Neill or Martin Amis will find Byers palatable. Byers has already garnered favorable recognition for Idiopathy, landing on the Daily Telegraph’s “Five Young Novelists for 2013” list as well as the Eleven, a list published by British book retailer Waterstones. This, plus publication of Idiopathy in wide translation, signals the rise of a young star in the world of fiction. --Diego Báez