{"product_id":"9781760989767","title":"The Diplomat","description":"Author: Chris Womersley \u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781760989767 \u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Pan Macmillan Australia \u003cbr\u003eYear First Published: 2022 \u003cbr\u003ePages: 224 \u003cbr\u003eDimensions: 230mm x 156mm x 17mm \u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDescription: \u003cbr\u003e1991. Fresh out of detox and five years after his involvement in the theft of Picasso's masterpiece \u003ci\u003eThe Weeping Woman\u003c\/i\u003e from the NGV, Edward Degraves - art forger and drug addict - returns to Melbourne for a new start. All he needs to do is make one last visit to The Diplomat, a seedy motel renowned for its drug dealers and eccentrics. But Edward's new-found sobriety is both a torment and a gift. As he revisits old haunts, he is confronted by reminders of the past: ruined relationships, a stalled career as an artist and - looming over everything - the death of his beloved wife Gertrude. Shot through with grief and dark comedy, \u003ci\u003eThe Diplomat\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful story of love and recovery - and a stark evocation of the fine line between self-destruction and redemption. \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Diplomat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e 'This is a gem of a novel, full of all the good stuff - love, art, failure, heartbreak - told in a clear, strong voice brimming with loss and longing. A novel of propulsive storytelling and moving depth.' - Emily Bitto 'Art, addiction and nostalgia swirl in reveries that tie London to Melbourne to the \u003ci\u003eWeeping Woman\u003c\/i\u003e heist. Edward is so heartbreakingly lost in the everyday, so doomed, that he could have risen from Dostoyevsky. Dark, touching and deeply authentic, this is Womersley at his very best.' - Jock Serong 'Threw me right back into the grimy inner-city Melbourne streets of the early 90s. Wonderful!' - Favel Parrett 'Regret and grief are some bitter pills to try wash down. To write about them with raw tenderness, with all their savage complexity, is mighty. A harsh, brave and necessary addendum to \u003ci\u003eCairo\u003c\/i\u003e. Bravo.' - Tim Rogers 'Written close to the bone. I clutched my pearls and then rooted for the protagonist. Both harrowing and wonderful.' - Kid Congo Powers (guitarist, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45331614105758,"sku":"ADS-9781760989767","price":32.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781760989767.jpg?v=1744772591","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781760989767","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}