The Heart of Henry Quantum

August 15, 2016
Harding’s debut novel is a winsome tale of an unexpected love triangle late in life. Set in San Francisco, the book’s titular protagonist is an unhappily married 40-something advertising executive, a day-dreaming philosopher who wants to be a writer. When Henry Quantum sets out to buy a last-minute Christmas gift for his wife, Margaret, a high-powered real estate broker, he runs into a former lover, Daisy. Told from the points of view of Henry, Margaret, and Daisy, all on the same day, December 23, this story is about defining love when you’re spiritually confused and full of self-deception. Henry walks through his day on “an almost pilgrimage,” a “sainte terrer. That’s right, a saunterer! A Holy Lander!” He seeks to experience life “in the moment in which it occurs.” Perhaps Henry’s voice is a bit too stream-of-consciousness, with some sections confirming Margaret’s frequent complaint that his mind wandering can be annoying. Despite this, Henry is a fully formed, emotionally resonant character; Margaret, on the other hand, is one-dimensional: hard, assertive, and unfeeling. As the past is revealed to the reader and Henry must chose his future, the alternating viewpoints add velocity to this fun, fanciful story that will keep readers guessing until the end. Agent: Michael Carlisle, Inkwell Management.

In Harding's wry debut fiction, Henry Quantum's major preoccupation is "the avoidance of pain," no doubt part of the reason he dropped out of a philosophy doctoral program to work in an advertising agency.Perhaps pain avoidance is the reason he clings to his once-passionate 15-year marriage to Margaret even though he often now feels "the dark energy of her contempt." It's Dec. 23 when Henry remembers he hasn't purchased a Christmas gift for his wife. He leaves his office seeking Chanel No. 5 perfume. As he walks, Henry encounters Daisy, with whom he once had an affair. Henry's a perfectly sketched character, his interior monologue--and there's much of it--at times funny, at times profound. Margaret's an achiever, but she's now in the midst of an affair herself, no guilt or introspection evident. She drifted until marriage and then found supersuccess in high-level real estate. Daisy's a realistic character, married young for security, now sometimes an unfocused ditz, but intelligent and ambitious enough to enroll post-divorce in an advanced neuroscience program. The San Francisco setting is perfectly mapped on the page, detailed from coffee shops to street characters. Covering only one day, the narrative gets rolling with a subtle sendup of Henry's trendy advertising agency. After that, Henry goes on his perfume-seeking walkabout and ruminates on quantum physics, Heisenberg and mirror images, existentialism, the cosmic void, Zen Buddhism, and the artificiality of hiding behind psycho-buzzwords like guilt, deflection, and projection to analyze rather than resolve emotional conflict. Harding spins his tale in alternating segments from Henry's, Margaret's, and Daisy's points of view, sometimes arch but nearly always empathetic, showing every fondness for his three damaged lovers. Some may find shades of Walter Mitty in Henry Quantum, but this quirky love story is driven by angst, and heroes imagined or real are absent. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016
In Hardings wry debut fiction, Henry Quantums major preoccupation is "the avoidance of pain," no doubt part of the reason he dropped out of a philosophy doctoral program to work in an advertising agency.Perhaps pain avoidance is the reason he clings to his once-passionate 15-year marriage to Margaret even though he often now feels "the dark energy of her contempt." Its Dec. 23 when Henry remembers he hasnt purchased a Christmas gift for his wife. He leaves his office seeking Chanel No. 5 perfume. As he walks, Henry encounters Daisy, with whom he once had an affair. Henrys a perfectly sketched character, his interior monologueand theres much of itat times funny, at times profound. Margarets an achiever, but shes now in the midst of an affair herself, no guilt or introspection evident. She drifted until marriage and then found supersuccess in high-level real estate. Daisys a realistic character, married young for security, now sometimes an unfocused ditz, but intelligent and ambitious enough to enroll post-divorce in an advanced neuroscience program. The San Francisco setting is perfectly mapped on the page, detailed from coffee shops to street characters. Covering only one day, the narrative gets rolling with a subtle sendup of Henrys trendy advertising agency. After that, Henry goes on his perfume-seeking walkabout and ruminates on quantum physics, Heisenberg and mirror images, existentialism, the cosmic void, Zen Buddhism, and the artificiality of hiding behind psycho-buzzwords like guilt, deflection, and projection to analyze rather than resolve emotional conflict. Harding spins his tale in alternating segments from Henrys, Margarets, and Daisys points of view, sometimes arch but nearly always empathetic, showing every fondness for his three damaged lovers. Some may find shades of Walter Mitty in Henry Quantum, but this quirky love story is driven by angst, and heroes imagined or real are absent.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.