Daniel Blake, whose first novel debuted in the New York Times bestseller list for two weeks, sought refuge in a small state-supported college as an English instructor when he failed to publish his subsequent novels. One year, he told himself. One year of teaching and saving his salary, and he would go back to New York and write.
His plan seemed straightforward enough. However, Blake did not count on life happening to him. He met Ann, the new gym teacher, and they lived together and established a cozy and predictable life. Lulled by the sense of security and safety inherent in such a domestic setting, and kept busy by his Freshman English and writing classes, Blake’s thoughts for the second book gradually became relegated to the back of his mind.
Then one day, Janice came, a nymphomaniac, bisexual, and “man hungry” student whose single-mindedness in pursuing Blake gave him the sexual satisfaction and excitement he sought but never found with Ann. Janice shook his growing complacency, and made him question his life’s purpose once again. Is he destined to remain in the college, marry Ann, have children, and retire as a teacher? Or is he willing to sacrifice this picture of a well-ordered life for an uncertain future as a writer?
Despite its title, Man Hungry is not (just) about sex. While there are enough racy scenes in the story depicting straight and lesbian love, this novel is more about identity, about what it means to be a writer, and the lengths a man might go in pursuit of his dreams.
This exciting early novel by Donald E. Westlake was originally published under the pseudonym, Alan Marshall.
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