"The Rachel Papers" 1974 AMIS, Martin
$125
AMIS, Martin
[228] pp.
Alfred A. Knopf
1974
First American Edition
8 1/2" x 5 7/8"
Jacket design by Ray Cruz
The Rachel Papers is Martin Amis's first novel, published in 1973 by Jonathan Cape.
The Rachel Papers tells the story of Charles Highway, a bright, egotistical teenager (a portrait Amis acknowledges as autobiographical) and his relationship with his girlfriend in the year before going to university. Narrated by Charles on the eve of his twentieth birthday, the novel recounts Charles's last year of adolescence and his first love, Rachel Noyes, whom he meets in London while studying for his entrance exams into Oxford. Charles meets Rachel at a party and vows to win her over with his wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, she is seeing an American visiting student named DeForest, and Charles must employ a variety of meticulously calculated schemes to steal her away.