|
|
|
|
||
|
HELP | |
|
  $17.50 List price:
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
More copies of this ISBN:Lowboyby John Wray
Review-a-Day (What is Review-a-Day?)"Derrida once described God as 'the being that can never be misheard or misunderstood: a measure of the gulf between the human and the divine, and a sacralization of the ever-present fear that one's words might not be able to travel across without perversion.' But in Lowboy this vast gulf and this constant fear has drifted downward, and fallen into the daily and profane space between ourselves and others." Sophia Lear, The New Republic Online (read the entire New Republic Online review) Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Early one morning in New York City, Will Heller, a sixteen-yearold paranoid schizophrenic, gets on an uptown B train alone. Like most people he knows, Will believes the world is being destroyed by climate change; unlike most people, hes convinced he can do something about it. Unknown to his doctors, unknown to the policeunknown even to Violet Heller, his devoted motherWill alone holds the key to the planets salvation. To cool down the world, he has to cool down his own overheating body: to cool down his body, he has to find one willing girl. And he already has someone in mind. Lowboy, John Wrays third novel, tells the story of Wills fantastic and terrifying odyssey through the citys tunnels, back alleys, and streets in search of Emily Wallace, his one great hope, and of Violet Hellers desperate attempts to locate her son before psychosis claims him completely. She is joined by Ali Lateef, a missing-persons specialist, who gradually comes to discover that more is at stake than the recovery of a runaway teen: Violetbeautiful, enigmatic, and as profoundly at odds with the world as her sonharbors a secret that Lateef will discover at his own peril. Suspenseful and comic, devastating and hopeful by turns, Lowboy is a fearless exploration of youth, sex, and violence in contemporary America, seen through one boys haunting and extraordinary vision. Review:"Wray's captivating third novel drifts between psychological realities while exploring the narrative poetics of schizophrenia. The story centers on Will Heller, a 16-year-old New Yorker who has stopped taking his antipsychotic medication and wandered away from the mental hospital into the subway tunnels believing that the world will end within a few hours and that only he can save it. It's a novel that defies easy categorization, although in one sense it's a mystery, as a detective, Lateef, is on the case, assisted by Will's troubled mother, Violet. As Lateef tracks Will and gains some startling insight into Violet, Wray deploys brilliant hallucinatory visuals, including chilling descriptions of the subway system and an imaginary river flowing beneath Manhattan. In his previous works, Wray has shown that he's not a stranger to dark themes, and with this tightly wound novel, he reaches new heights." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:“A breathtaking journey.” O, The Oprah Magazine “Youll tear through the pages . . . A lip-biting thriller to the finish.” Sarah Z. Wexler, Marie Claire “[Wray] succeeds with a brisk plot and odd moments of humor. The storys final grimness is tough, but its hard not to admire this bullet train of a book for its chilling power.”Stacey Levine, Bookforum “Wray is an obviously gifted writer, who treatment of Will is a tour de force of empathy, style, and imagination.”Booklist “John Wrays Lowboy is a psychotic, subterranean, environmentally conscious, coming-of-age novel. It is also an affecting and affectionate love letter to New York. Lowboy is John Wray at his highest.”Nathan Englander, author of Ministry of Special Cases “Through the windows of John Wray's rumbling express, we catch sight of the deep darkness that lives inside the human psyche. Lowboy is a riveting and disturbing ride, illuminating one adolescent boy's shadowy underground, and giving us glimpses of our own as well.” – Colson Whitehead, author of Apex Hides the Hurt “America's most original young writer has given us a book for the ages. Compelling, compassionate, and deeply unsettling, Lowboy introduces us to the brilliant sixteen-year-old Will Heller, a hero as three-dimensional as any in recent fiction, a Holden Caulfield for our troubled times.”Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutantes Handbook and Absurdistan “Wrays captivating third novel drifts between psychological realities while exploring the narrative poetics of schizophrenia. . . . Wray deploys brilliant hallucinatory visuals, including chilling descriptions of the subway system and an imaginary river flowing beneath Manhattan. In his previous works, Wray has shown that hes not a stranger to dark themes, and with this tightly wound novel, he reaches new heights.” – Publishers Weekly (starred) “Wray presents a powerful and vivid portrait of Will's mental state, believably entering into his apocalyptic vision of the world.” – Library Journal “Lowboy sucks you into the tunnels under NY and doesn't let you go until its perfect ending. Wray effortlessly portrays the cracked and distorted mind of his teenage hero. What a beguiling novel.” –Tim Pears, author of In The Place of Fallen Leaves “Comparisons to J. D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye or Stephen Chboskys The Perks of Being a Wallflower are inevitable.” Karen E. Brooks-Reese, School Library Journal Review:"'The novel has a thriller-like pace, and Wray keeps us riveted and guessing, finding chilling rhetorical and pictorial equivalents for Wills uniquely dysfunctional perspective... The suspense is expertly maintained, straight through the novels dreamlike climactic encounter and heart-wrenching final paragraph. The opening pages recall Salingers Holden Caulfield, but the denouement and haunting aftertaste may make the stunned reader whisper "Dostoevsky.' Yes, it really is that good.'" Kirkus (starred) Review:"Lowboy is uncompromising, gripping and generally excellent . . . One of the novels many pleasures is just going along: putting yourself fully in the hands of the story and its author, being drawn in, gradually immersed, making the connections . . . By the time it all falls into place, the reader is long hooked and turning back is not an option . . . This is a meticulously constructed novel, immensely satisfying in the perfect, precise beat of its plot . . . I'd be proud to be seen reading this novel on the downtown 6, or anywhere else at all." Charles Bock, The New York Times Book Review About the AuthorJohn Wray is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Right Hand of Sleep and Canaans Tongue. He was named one of Granta magazines Best of Young American Novelists in 2007. The recipient of a Whiting Award, he lives in Brooklyn, New York. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Don't Miss
