Laura Warholic: Or, the Sexual Intellectual — Alexander Theroux

Theroux's acclaimed 2007 novel, now in paperback.

In 2007, National Book Award Nominee Alexander Theroux (Three Wogs, Darconville's Cat, and An Adultery), returned to the world of letters with his first novel in 20 years: Laura Warholic or The Sexual Intellectual. It was hailed by The Believer, Book Forum, Booklist, The Washington Post and others as one of the literary events of the year. And now, this massive tome is available in softcover.

Eugene Eyestones, an erudite sex columnist for a Boston cultural magazine, becomes enmeshed in the messy life of a would-be artist named Laura Warholic, who, repulsing and fascinating him at the same time, becomes a mirror in which he not only sees himself but through which he is forced to face his own demons. Not only does she inadvertently supply him with material for his columns; she exemplifies all that Eugene considers wrong with contemporary America (of which the publishing profession and its recognizable denizens serves as a microcosm) ― a garish and dunce-filled Babylon that Theroux scorches with inventive and relentless satire.

As in all of Theroux's works, his maximalist and pyrotechnic prose style and searching intellect are the chief attractions, capable of outrageous comedy, nuanced philosophical discussions, winsome love scenes, flame-throwing tirades, subtle theological musings, and an unflinching genius for a profound if merciless look at the human condition. Horrifying and hilarious, damning and demanding, Laura Warholic in its uncompromising power is one of the great novels of this still young century.