Synopses & Reviews
Dennis Cooper's sparely crafted novels have earned him an international reputation even as his subject matter has made him a controversial figure.
God Jr. is a stunningly accomplished new novel that marks a new phase in Cooper's noteworthy career.
God Jr. is the story of Jim, a father who survived the car crash that killed his teenage son Tommy. Tommy was distant, transfixed by video games and pop culture, and a mystery to the man who raised him. Now, disabled by the accident, yearning somehow to absolve his own guilt over the crash, Jim becomes obsessed with a mysterious building Tommy drew repetitively in a notebook before he died. As the fixation grows, Jim starts to take on elements of his son at the expense of his job and marriage but is he connecting with who Tommy truly was?
A tender, wrenching look at guilt, grief, and the tenuous bonds of family, God Jr. is unlike anything Dennis Cooper has yet written. It is a triumphant achievement from one of our finest writers.
Review
"God Jr. is restive, uncertain and, most important, uncanny....Buy it. Read it. It is an American masterpiece." Los Angeles Times
Review
"Cooper is his own stylistic wizard, appropriating teenspeak, chat-room cadence and the expansive imagery of cyberspace." New York Times
Review
"While this small book isn't for everyone, it could grab a cult following." Library Journal
Review
"A refreshing departure from the obsessive redundancy of its predecessors. Probably Cooper's best yet." Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
In addition to his novels, Dennis Cooper is the author of the short-story collection Wrong and several volumes of poetry, including The Dream Police.