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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Alive in Necropolisby Doug Dorst
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peaceand maintain a grip on realityin a town where the dead outnumber the living. Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grownup relationshipsincluding a shaky romance with an older woman; a growing alliance with his cocky, charismatic partner, Nick Toronto; fading college friendships; and an aching sense of responsibility for a local rich kid who Mercer rescues from a dangerous prank in the cemetery. But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant Featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead. And as Mercer delves deeper into Featherstone's story, it appears that Mercer's own sanity is beginning to slipeither that, or Colma's more famous residents are not resting in peace as they should be. With all the playful sensitivity of Haruki Murakami and the haunted atmosphere of Paul Auster, but with a voice all his own, Doug Dorst has crafted an irresistible, compelling debut. Review:"This charming first novel maps the landscape and lives of a small town where ghosts and the living are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. That's what police officer Michael Mercer discovers the night he saves the life of a teenage boy left unconscious and at the mercy of the elements in a Colma, Calif., cemetery. Later, Michael witnesses nocturnal incidents that turn out to be the afterlife activities of local residents who've been dead for decades. The repetitive and unresolved activities of the dead slyly parallel Michael's aimless life and the lives of friends and colleagues similarly mired in day-to-day routine. Though the supernatural elements aren't as well integrated into the main action as they might be, Dorst strikes a perfect balance between humor and pathos. His ability to show the magic potential of everyday lives marks him as an author to watch. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Synopsis:Dorst pens a fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peace--and maintain a grip on reality--in a town where the dead outnumber the living.
About the AuthorDoug Dorst teaches creative writing at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, his work has appeared in McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Epoch, and other journals, as well as in the anthology Politically Inspired. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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