Closer Book

The play focuses on the complex relationships, politics and morality of four people trading partners in search of love and lust. It uniquely blends elements of tragedy, comedy, and melodrama and challenges audience perceptions at every turn. Marber turns upside down romantic notions of love and sex uniting two people as one and pointedly challenges the idealistic notion that total honesty is the best way to preserve a relationship. As the four characters move in and out of relationships and expose their individual bleak takes on those relationships, the audience sees their self-delusions and their futile journey to find what they really desire in life. Marber's writing is noted for rapid dialogue with a staccato rhythm and intense exchanges that are at times abrasive and explicit in nature and are infused throughout with dark humor. This Student Edition comes complete with a full introduction, plot synopsis, commentary, discussion of the film version, bibliography and questions for study. It is the perfect edition for anyone studying the play at school or college.