{"product_id":"ablutions-9781803513577","title":"Ablutions","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An instant classic' \u003ci\u003eDazed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA nameless barman tends a decaying bar in Hollywood and takes notes for a book about his clientele. Initially, he is morbidly amused by watching the regulars roll in and fall into their nightly oblivion, pitying them and their loneliness. In hopes of uncovering their secrets and motives, he establishes tentative friendships with them. He also knocks back pills indiscriminately and treats himself to gallons of Jameson's.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut as his tenure at the bar continues, he begins to lose himself, trapped by addiction and indecision. When his wife leaves him, he embarks on a series of squalidly random sexual encounters and a downward spiral of self-damage and irrational violence. To cleanse himself and save his soul, he attempts to escape...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781803513577\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 07 Jul 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Granta Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003ePatrick Dewitt's first novel, \u003ci\u003eAblutions\u003c\/i\u003e, was published by Granta Books in 2009. His second novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Sisters Brothers\u003c\/i\u003e won the Govenor General Literary Award and was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize. He has since written three more novels: \u003ci\u003eUndermajordomo Minor\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFrench Exit \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Librarianist\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Portland, Oregon.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003eBrilliant * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eAn instant classic * Dazed and Confused *\u003cbr\u003eA brief, intense and carefully sustained piece of writing about the blurry edges of existence * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eHilariously gloomy ... a sober reminder to stick to the diet tonic water * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eDrips with black humour * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eSometimes poetic, sometimes terrible, sometimes funny, often all three at once... Remarkable * Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003eEvokes with good humour the lives of his crazed colleagues and clientele, whose nightly revels terminate in violence and vice ... Ablutions doesn't glorify alcoholism, but nor does it present a moral, skilfully dodging the traps it sets itself. That second-person narration, for instance, risks looking like a gimmick but you grow to view it as a symptom of the protagonist's self-obliteration. And where a more conventional novel might have added a dollop of backstory as a key to his pain, here there's nothing but a void -- Anthony Cummins * Observer *","brand":"Patrick deWitt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48979757891801,"sku":"9781803513577","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781803513577.jpg?v=1784470362","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/ablutions-9781803513577","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}