The Quick

A debut novel by Lauren Owen which had promise: set in turn of the century London, an element of the supernatural, good reviews in such notable sources as Publishers Weekly and The Economist. However, after reading 168 pages, I still was not captured and so departed. An aspiring Oxford-trained poet decides to escape the crumbling family estate in the countryside and seek his fortune in London. Through a mutual acquaintance, he becomes roommates with a much wealthier young man who is leading the stereotypical life of the dissolute. But then one night, their mutual intoxication leads to a tryst and they become secret lovers. And then the poet disappears. His sister heads to London to try and find him.