My Other Life

Spanning almost thirty years, My Other Life traces the journey of a fictional Paul Theroux from young bachelorhood in Africa, to his travels between continents, in and out of marriage, affairs, and employment. From his early education at the knee of a highly eccentric uncle through his years as a fledgling novelist in London under the wing of the rapacious Lady Max, this writer of different guises eventually returns alone to his hometown, in retreat, where he finds the raw material to begin again. This wry, worldly, erotic, and deeply moving account of one man's first half century is among the strongest works written by Theroux.