The New York-based gay author David Finkle will drop his newest novel this month, Dorothea Through My Eyes, which publishes on Nov. 15.
Finkle’s novel examines how ambition, identity and emotional distress can reshape relationships, raising questions about mental health, assumptions people make about others and the challenges of helping someone in crisis.
At a chance meeting of his old college friend Pete, Nathan was introduced to Pete’s wife Dorothea. At the time, he thought she “looked so styleless that she was a sandwich board for her own unique style.” She was a British heiress from an old family with one of those crumbling—but majestic—estates, who had chosen to partner with a struggling New York writer.
Dorothea’s role as Pete’s muse, champion and dinner-party hostess brings that statement to life. As an observer, Nathan watches Pete and Dorothea’s life unfold through frequent visits to their New York City apartment and, later, their home in London, where they raise their son. From Nathan’s perspective, all is well in the world of the family: Pete’s book is published, and his career takes off.
One night, Nathan is shaken to find Dorothea alone at the kitchen table, an open and almost empty bottle by her side. Neither says anything about the encounter. Later, after Dorothea has left Pete for another man, Nathan begins to wonder about the happiness and contentment he thought he had witnessed throughout their marriage. When Dorothea descends into an abyss, Nathan questions his ability to be a friend—and whether he can ever truly understand or know another person.
Finkle is an award-winning NY-based gay, Jewish author, journalist, and theater critic for New York Stage Review. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Nation, and New York Magazine. He is the author of multiple novels and story collections, including the award-winning Humpty Trumpty Hit a Brick Wall.
–From staff reports