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Original Essays | June 11, 2013

Sandi Doughton: IMG Preparing for the Next Megaquake

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Note: Sandi Doughton, along with an expert panel, will be appearing at Powell's City of Books on Friday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. When my editor at... Continue »
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Citrus County

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Citrus County Cover

 

Review-A-Day

"Citrus County is the story of a crime that tears apart middle school classmates Toby and Shelby. Toby is the criminal and Shelby is the victim, but Toby hasn't been caught. Actually, he and Shelby are dating. And their lives aren't torn apart in the sense that they become the center of a police investigation, or are ripped from their normal lives. They're torn apart because the original crime turns them into teenagers who live very comfortably with the worst incarnations of themselves." Janet Potter, Bookslut (read the entire Bookslut review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

There shouldn't be a Citrus County. Teenage romance should be difficult, but not this difficult. Boys like Toby should cause trouble but not this much. The moon should glow gently over children safe in their beds. Uncles in their rockers should be kind. Teachers should guide and inspire. Manatees should laze and palm trees sway and snakes keep to their shady spots under the azalea thickets. The air shouldn't smell like a swamp. The stars should twinkle. Shelby should be her own hero, the first hero of Citrus County. She should rescue her sister from underground, rescue Toby from his life. Her destiny should be a hero's destiny.

Review:

"Brandon (Arkansas) finds shards of redemption in the swampy backwaters of Florida in his funny and horrifying latest. When Shelby Register moves to Citrus County, Fla., with her single father and little sister, she's expecting "surfers instead of rednecks," but the precocious teen makes the best of it. Things get screwy when Toby, a neglected, loveless boy living with his abusive uncle, becomes her twisted love interest. Toby finds trouble far more elaborate than ordinary delinquency when he enacts a strange, cruel plot on the Register clan. Presiding over it all in his own confused state is Mr. Hibma, a young teacher draped in irony and disaffection who lectures on the evils of capitalism, avoids his colleagues, and wants to do good but isn't sure how. As the Register family's misery deepens, Shelby begins to test boundaries, Toby realizes that he can't reverse the effects of his "prank," and his and Shelby's braided fates hurtle toward either tragedy or a narrow miss. Brandon's dry wit, dark imagination, and surprisingly big heart combine to reveal a Florida that, despite (or because of) being more Ted Bundy than Disney World, is absolutely worth visiting." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"John Brandon's macabre novel Citrus County is at once touching, funny, and terrifying....Brandon is a master at creating greatly flawed, believable characters who jump off the page and into our memories. Brandon's debut novel Arkansas greatly impressed me....Citrus County is a worthy successor, a book that haunts as well as it entertains." Largehearted Boy

Review:

"Last night I stayed up late because I had to finish John Brandon's upcoming novel Citrus County....I was compelled! Gripped! Creeped out! I was nervous about what might happen to the various characters in their various states of peril!....Sometimes writers get all beautiful on you and forget to remind you to turn the pages. Not John Brandon! He does it all." Jack Pendarvis

Review:

"I finished the novel a true believer: that Citrus County is gorgeous and deserves to be read widely; and that John Brandon is a great young writer who can — and probably will — do just about anything." San Francisco Chronicle

Synopsis:

Teenage romance is confusing even in the best of times — but it's even worse when you've also accidentally kidnapped your girlfriend's little sister. John Brandon follows his acclaimed Arkansas with this dark, yearning story of Citrus County — manatees and strip malls, pep rallies and crazy uncles, secret bunkers and whip-smart girls. All the swampy humidity of central Florida, all the blind hunger of first love, and all the endless futility of eighth grade.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
Sheila D Cail, January 2, 2013 (view all comments by Sheila D Cail)
This story took my breath away.
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Larry Robinson, August 16, 2010 (view all comments by Larry Robinson)
It is almost impossible to describe this book and do it justice. Oh, the story is easy enough to explain; teen years are tough, young love is tough, teaching is a thankless job, especially when you really have no interest in doing it. Two middle schoolers fall for each other and begin a tentative relationship. One of them kidnaps a small girl and hides her in a bunker on his uncle's property. Everyone searches, no one finds her. However, it is almost impossible to explain the creepiness found in this book. The writing style is so different from almost anything else out there. You don't want to know what these characters are thinking, but you can't stop reading. This is a really interesting book from an exciting new voice.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781934781531
Author:
Brandon, John
Publisher:
McSweeney's Books
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Psychological fiction
Subject:
Teenagers
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:
Trade Cloth
Publication Date:
20100731
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Language:
English
Pages:
224
Dimensions:
8.5 x 6 in 21 oz
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z

Citrus County Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$10.50 In Stock
Product details 224 pages McSweeney's Books - English 9781934781531 Reviews:
"Review A Day" by , "Citrus County is the story of a crime that tears apart middle school classmates Toby and Shelby. Toby is the criminal and Shelby is the victim, but Toby hasn't been caught. Actually, he and Shelby are dating. And their lives aren't torn apart in the sense that they become the center of a police investigation, or are ripped from their normal lives. They're torn apart because the original crime turns them into teenagers who live very comfortably with the worst incarnations of themselves." Janet Potter, Bookslut (read the entire Bookslut review)
"Review" by , "Brandon (Arkansas) finds shards of redemption in the swampy backwaters of Florida in his funny and horrifying latest. When Shelby Register moves to Citrus County, Fla., with her single father and little sister, she's expecting "surfers instead of rednecks," but the precocious teen makes the best of it. Things get screwy when Toby, a neglected, loveless boy living with his abusive uncle, becomes her twisted love interest. Toby finds trouble far more elaborate than ordinary delinquency when he enacts a strange, cruel plot on the Register clan. Presiding over it all in his own confused state is Mr. Hibma, a young teacher draped in irony and disaffection who lectures on the evils of capitalism, avoids his colleagues, and wants to do good but isn't sure how. As the Register family's misery deepens, Shelby begins to test boundaries, Toby realizes that he can't reverse the effects of his "prank," and his and Shelby's braided fates hurtle toward either tragedy or a narrow miss. Brandon's dry wit, dark imagination, and surprisingly big heart combine to reveal a Florida that, despite (or because of) being more Ted Bundy than Disney World, is absolutely worth visiting."
"Review" by , "John Brandon's macabre novel Citrus County is at once touching, funny, and terrifying....Brandon is a master at creating greatly flawed, believable characters who jump off the page and into our memories. Brandon's debut novel Arkansas greatly impressed me....Citrus County is a worthy successor, a book that haunts as well as it entertains."
"Review" by , "Last night I stayed up late because I had to finish John Brandon's upcoming novel Citrus County....I was compelled! Gripped! Creeped out! I was nervous about what might happen to the various characters in their various states of peril!....Sometimes writers get all beautiful on you and forget to remind you to turn the pages. Not John Brandon! He does it all."
"Review" by , "I finished the novel a true believer: that Citrus County is gorgeous and deserves to be read widely; and that John Brandon is a great young writer who can — and probably will — do just about anything."
"Synopsis" by , Teenage romance is confusing even in the best of times — but it's even worse when you've also accidentally kidnapped your girlfriend's little sister. John Brandon follows his acclaimed Arkansas with this dark, yearning story of Citrus County — manatees and strip malls, pep rallies and crazy uncles, secret bunkers and whip-smart girls. All the swampy humidity of central Florida, all the blind hunger of first love, and all the endless futility of eighth grade.
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