Conrad in Quest of His Youth: An Extravagance of Temperament

"Conrad in Quest of His Youth: An Extravagance of Temperament" by Leonard Merrick is a reflective story about getting older and what it means to look back on our lives with fondness. The book follows Conrad, who's now in middle age, as he searches for the feelings from his younger days by going back to the places where those memories were made. He begins in Literary London, feeling like an outsider and sad that the lively times he remembered are no longer happening. This feeling gets stronger as he thinks about his time as a young art student in Paris and wants to feel those exciting emotions again. His journey to find what he's missing takes him to a coastal town full of happy memories from when he was a kid. Through his travels, he comes face-to-face with how much everything, including himself, has changed over time. The first parts of the story start a deep look into memories, wanting things we can't have again, and the sadness that comes with the passing of time as we age.