The Dismal Science

By Peter Mountford and Eden O'Neill

Book Overview

he Dismal Science tells of a middle-aged vice president at the World Bank, Vincenzo D'Orsi, who publicly quits his job over a seemingly minor argument with a colleague. A scandal inevitably ensues, and he systematically burns every bridge to his former life. After abandoning his career, Vincenzo, a recent widower, is at a complete loss as to what to do with himself. The story follows his efforts to rebuild his identity without a vocation or the company of his wife. An exploration of the fragile nature of identity, The Dismal Science reveals the terrifying speed with which a person's sense of self can be annihilated. It is at once a study of a man attempting to apply his reason to the muddle of life and a book about how that same ostensible rationality, and the mathematics of finance in particular, operates--with similarly dubious results--in our world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1935639722
• ISBN13: 9781935639725
• Release Date: January 2014
• Publisher: Tin House Books
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.6" x 7.7"