Affairs of Art

An art critic dies alone, leaving only a letter to a former lover about the women and men he has loved. But it's a letter that discloses too much -- a final lifting of imposture that must nevertheless remain concealed.

Affairs of Art, both tender and harsh, tells the story of Francois Dubeau, a man born from nothing in Montreal's east end. He gradually explores the world outside Quebec, his yearning for knowledge, experience, and love creating for him a singular course leading to prominence in the art world, but ultimately to death.

Tightly structured and carefully written, Affairs of Art weaves together the idea of imposture, the link between pain and art, the question of what is of lasting importance in art and in life, and the process of becoming as well as dying. This is the second volume in Lise Bissonette's False Pretences trilogy.