The Infinities

In John Banville's 'The Infinities,' the revered physicist Adam Godley lies on his deathbed, surrounded by his estranged wife and their complex adult children, gathered at the family's ancestral home. Unbeknownst to the squabbling mortals, they are not the only ones observing this poignant final act. The ancient, mischievous Greek gods, led by the perpetually bored Hermes, have descended to Earth, drawn by the irresistible drama of human suffering and desire. As family tensions simmer and long-buried secrets surface, the divine observers find their voyeurism transforming into active interference. Their whimsical interventions subtly—and sometimes not so subtly—steer the human narrative, accelerating betrayals, igniting illicit passions, and forcing the Godley family to confront the bewildering and often absurd nature of their own existence. Overflowing with Banville’s signature lyrical prose and bawdy humor, the novel offers a brilliant, often salacious, and deeply moving meditation on memory, mortality, and the enigmatic plight of being human, all under the knowing, cynical gaze of Olympus.