Ben Eastham's Debut Novel 'The Floating World' Reviewed in ArtReview
Ben Eastham's debut novel, The Floating World, centers on an unnamed art critic mourning the loss of his wife. While teaching at a school where he is mockingly referred to as 'Doctor Pissington,' he is drawn back into the art scene to investigate an exhibition for 'The Floating World,' a luxurious community on a desert island created by a tech mogul. The book critiques an art industry upheld by those it opposes, delving into themes of grief linked to the island's development. Eastham's keen character insights are laced with dry wit. The metafictional approach emphasizes memory over consequences. Although critical of modern art, the narrative genuinely explores love, pregnancy, and sorrow. It is published by Fitzcarraldo Editions for £14.99, with the review featured in ArtReview's October 2026 edition.
Key facts
- Ben Eastham's debut novel is titled The Floating World
- The novel's unnamed narrator is an art critic, like Eastham himself
- The narrator is grieving his recently deceased wife
- Students at the school where he teaches call him 'Doctor Pissington'
- A friend offers him a job researching an art exhibition for 'The Floating World' island inauguration
- 'The Floating World' is a gated community beneath a giant dome on a desert island built by a tech billionaire
- The community is designed as a refuge for the wealthiest from climate crisis and political collapse
- The novel opens in Ireland with the narrator on the verge of writing
- Eastham's character descriptions include a woman with 'the erotic hauteur of an academic' and another in oversized metal-rimmed spectacles
- The novel includes a philanthropist who believes happiness can be quantified
- The book is published by Fitzcarraldo Editions at £14.99 in softcover
- The review appears in the October 2026 issue of ArtReview, the Philanthropy Report
Entities
Artists
- Ben Eastham
- Gwen Burlington
Institutions
- ArtReview
- Fitzcarraldo Editions
- The White Review
- Fitzcarraldo
- Ocula
Locations
- Ireland