Offering further evidence of his astounding range as a novelist, the
bestselling author of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and The
Navigator of New York crafts a hilarious and moving paean to the dawn
of the television age. Henry Prendergast grew up on television--not
merely watching it, but starring in the wildly popular children's show
"Rumpus Room." Cast in the roles of Bee Good and Bee Bad by his mother
Audrey, the show's creator, Henry came of age along with the new
medium--one that would soon propel his family out Toronto's middle-class
life and into the tabloids.
Henry's father Peter, a would-be novelist, refuses to have any part in
his wife's burgeoning television empire, but commits himself instead to
the task of being a walking, talking--mostly scathing--reminder of the
family's "humble beginnings." Then, on the heels of Rumpus Room*,*
Audrey dreams up The Philo Farnsworth Show*,* loosely based on the
life story of the young teen credited with inventing the tube and
starring Henry in the lead role. Rapidly amassing a cult-like following
of "Philosophers," the show challenges the Prendergasts anew. Forced
into increasing isolation by a fervent media, they must work harder than
ever to not let success get the best of them.
