Lethe Bashar’s Novel of Life is a work of fictional autobiography. The main character, Lethe, is the author’s self-proclaimed alter ego and former adolescent self. On three different weblogs, spanning 25 years, the reader is encouraged to read the text from any point in time and proceed in any direction.
Lethe in Spain follows Lethe’s adventures living abroad—at first with a Senora and then by himself in a pensione. Lethe in Vegas is a wild romp through the lower west side of Vegas, and the events which lead Lethe out of Vegas and back to an exclusive rehab center in Tuscon, Arizona, where he won’t stay for long.
Family in Decline traces the shaky beginnings of Lethe’s family unit as it highlights a self-absorbed artist-mother and a psuedo-spiritual father. The blog explores the stories behind each member of Lethe’s family, including his sister, and shows how Lethe evolved into an impulsive idealist and nascent drug addict.
Although subject matter deals with themes of drugs, divorce, rebellion, and disease, Lethe Bashar’s Novel of Life presents the youthful and somewhat foolish attempt to transform a world of suffering into a quixotic performance of self through art.
