Whale Music (novel)
Rather than engaging with the outside world, Howl spends his time composing symphonies for the pod of whales that congregate near his dilapidated seaside retreat.
Howl's life is turned upside down one morning when he finds a mysterious woman named Claire asleep in his living room.
[1] Howl is a heavy drug user and alcoholic whose diet mainly consists of jelly-filled doughnuts.
This lifestyle gives Howl a false sense of reality and affects his short-term memory.
Quarrington's nonlinear narrative aims to make the reader feel as though they are inside Desmond's mind.
Most of the story is told through Desmond's flashbacks, giving the reader a glimpse into the reclusive rock star's past.
The story begins as Desmond finds a naked woman asleep on the couch in his seaside mansion.
Confused, Desmond decides that Toronto must be a planet in a nearby galaxy, and that Claire is an alien.
Desmond does not receive visitors, except for his mother (who frequently shows up unannounced snooping for uncashed checks).
The narrative continues in flashbacks, revealing aspects of Desmond's childhood, including his brother Danny and an abusive father.
Danny quickly grew bored with it and quit, unlike Desmond, who tried to learn every instrument he could in hopes of receiving his father's approval.
Their father finds a record label that signs the boys, and they release their first song, which quickly rises to the top of the charts.
The majority of the band members also engage in promiscuous sexual activity with the groupies who follow them.
While married to her, Desmond stopped his heavy partying and acquired an office job where he wrote songs all day.
One day, he went home and found Faye in bed with their mutual friend, Farley O'Keefe.
He kicks Faye out, and begins his voluntary seclusion - staying home, drinking, and getting high.
He tells her that he is going to the studio to work on Whale Music, promising he will be back in time for dinner.
Later, realizing that Claire hasn't returned, he decides to go after her and steps out of his house for the first time in years.
Desmond runs at Farley to punch him, but before he makes contact, the guard is already on the ground.
