Synopses & Reviews
From the author of the internationally acclaimed
Torture the Artist, a fiercely funny novel about red-state politics, family traditions, and a common man who decides to fight back.
Somewhere in the middle of America dwells Blue Gene Mapother, a mullet-headed patriot who staunchly supports the American war effort without question. Besides his patriotism, little enlivens him except for pro wrestling, cigarettes, and any instance in which he thinks his masculinity is at stake. And though you wouldnt know it, Blue Gene hails from one of the wealthiest families in the country.
His mother, a fanatical Christian socialite, has a dream in which she sees Blue Genes older brother, the handsome but anxious John Hustbourne Mapother, becoming an apocalyptic world savior. Eager to fulfill his mothers prophecy, John runs for Congress but finds that as a corporate executive, hes not very popular with his largely working-class constituents. And so, after years of estrangement, the Mapothers reach out to Blue Gene, realizing that they need his common-man touch in order to cast their family name in a more favorable light with voters.
With absurd humor and poignant wit, this timely, small-town epic takes us from flea markets to mansions to abandoned Wal-Mart buildings, all the while examining the bizarre relationship between the “high” and “low” classes of America.
Synopsis
Joey Goebel's biggest and funniest novel yet, about red state politics, family traditions, and what happens when the common man fights back. Somewhere in the middle of America dwells Blue Gene Mapother, a trashy, mullet-headed Wal-Mart stockboy-turned-flea-marketer who staunchly supports any American war effort without question. Besides patriotism, little enlivens him except pro wrestling, cigarette breaks, and any instance in which he thinks his masculinity is at stake. Curiously, he is also a member of one of the wealthiest families in the country; brother to John Hurstbourne Mapother, an up-and-coming politician who decides that Blue Gene's low-class style could be useful, not harmful to his Congressional campaign. Through dark humor and cinematic story-telling, this small-town epic winds through flea markets to mansions to abandoned Wal-Mart buildings, all the while dramatizing the deranged, absurd relationship between the high and low class of America.
About the Author
Joey Goebel was born and raised in Henderson, Kentucky. He has a B.A. in English from Brescia University, and his debut novel, The Anomalies, was published in 2003. He is the former lead singer of the Mullets and Novembrists.