A Previous Life

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'Elegant, filthy – and quite possibly the queerest thing you will read all year.' - Guardian 'Intriguing and inventive.' - Electric Literature, "Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of the Year" 'A dizzyingly enticing and kaleidoscopic take on the spectrum of sexual experiences.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review A daring and ruthlessly funny novel from National Book Award honored author Edmund White that explores polyamory, bisexuality, aging, and love. Ruggero, a Sicilian aristocrat and musician, and his younger American wife, Constance, decide to break their marital silence by writing their Confessions. They had previously avoided discussing the past, as transparency had disrupted their earlier marriages. As they alternate reading their memoirs, Constance reveals her multiple marriages to older men, while Ruggero recounts his affairs with both men and women, notably his passionate relationship with White. Set against the backdrop of a Swiss ski chalet, the narrative expands across Europe and the United States, challenging conventional understandings of sexual orientation. White blends humor and truth to create his most complex characters yet, offering a searing exploration of physical beauty and its decline. In this experimental mode, where the author appears as a secondary character, themes of love and age are examined through various perspectives. Delightful, irreverent, and innovative, this work reaffirms White's status as a