New Releases by Malcolm Lowry

On the Day of the Dead, 1938, former British consul Geoffrey Firmin is in Quauhnahuac, Mexico, where his life has become overshadowed by the debilitating malaise of drinking. His wife, Yvonne, has just arrived on a mission to rescue their failing marriage, inspired by a vision of a life together away from Mexico and the circumstances that have driven their relationship to the brink of collapse. But Yvonne's mission is further complicated by the presence of the consul's half-brother, Hugh, and Jacques, a childhood friend. The events of this one day unfold against the unforgettable backdrop of a Mexico at once magical and diabolical. A modern classic, Under the Volcano is a powerful and lyrical statement on the human condition and one man's constant struggle against the elemental forces that threaten to destroy him.

"A fictionalized account of a somewhat disastrous vacation Malcolm Lowry and his wife took to Mexico in order to relive a previous Mexican vacation which also proved disastrous. Although the basic premise is clear- the narrator and his wife flee to Mexico in order to escape any number of legal and marital problems- once in Mexico, the book focuses on the spiritual and moral struggles of its main character, who is essentially Lowry himself. Dragging his wife from town to town, riding overcrowded buses and staying in less than ideal lodgings, the narrator relives his past mistakes, wrestles with regret, and finally reaches a place, both physically and spiritually, where he is able to confront his demons head on and leave both the literal and figurative Mexico."--Amazon