Synopses & Reviews
Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know-does not
want to know-where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline's sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner.
Only as Matt tries to track down his wife's mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline's trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa's life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known.
Elegant and astonishing, Patrick Somerville tells the story of one man's journey into the heart of marriage, parenthood, and what it means to be a family. Confirming the arrival of an exuberantly talented new writer, THE CRADLE is an uniquely imaginative debut novel that radiates with wisdom and wonder.
Review
"The Cradle is a story of family and the connections across time that define our lives in secret and surprising ways. It is a vivid story of renewal and a new beginning.
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"The link between the characters...is uncovered with a slow grace. But the story's real centerpiece is Matt's rapport with Joe. Their spare conversation is beautifully written, with lines of painstaking clarity. The weight of what Matt is doing-speaking, in a way, to his younger self-manages gravity while dodging self-seriousness, a particular gift in a debut novel."--Melissa Albert, Time Out Chicago
Review
"Poignant and funny...a well-wrought, often comical exploration of contemporary fatherhood."--Joseph Peschel, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Review
"A heartwarming debut...a fast-paced, compassionate, moral book. . . . the author succeeds beautifully in describing Matt's journey, which is both a harrowing road adventure and a journey of self-discovery."--Anthony Bukowski, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Review
"A fine first effort and a rewarding read."--Carole Goldberg, Hartford Courant
Review
"[Matt's] search, in Patrick Somerville's brilliant (and short!) debut novel is heartfelt, yes, but full of wild turns."--David Daley, Louisville Courier-Journal
Review
"This slim and rather unusual road novel is very satisfying. . . . because [Somerville] manages to somehow pack a pretty epic family story into such a concentrated punch of a book, THE CRADLE is the kind of novel you can read in a single sitting on a rainy spring Sunday."--Bobby Tanzillo, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Review
"The Cradle weaves together two tightly drawn tales of family history. One story moves forward, as an expectant father goes on a journey across America on a quest for a stolen cradle. The other travels backward, while a middle-aged woman reminisces about her long-lost lover, who died in Vietnam. Slowly, these two narratives begin cross, until they are interlocked like fingers-two hands reaching for each other until, there it is-the connection. Patrick Somerville has given us a novel of great depth and feeling that explores love, manhood, sacrifice and the most important bond of all-parenthood."--Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief
Review
"I read Patrick Somerville's debut novel, The Cradle, in one sitting--I couldn't put it down. What begins as a man's whimsical quest to recover an antique cradle for his wife becomes a wild road trip where the past keeps pace with the present and the moral stakes become almost unbearably high. The novel's protagonist, Matt, is rendered with such intelligence, humor, and emotional acuity that I feel like I know myself better for having met him. This is an unforgettable meditation on what it means to be a parent, a child, and part of a family."--Karen Russell, author of St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves
Review
"There is a yearning within Patrick Somerville's writing that is undeniable.
Review
"Like a magic trick, The Cradle will make you blink, chew your lip, try to figure out how he did it, how in the
Review
"There I am, minding my own business, and from out of nowhere comes this
Review
"This meditative novel dignifies small gestures, which bring to life the compelling characters. A bonus is the fresh regional sensibility the author brings to Matt's road trip through the Northern Middle West states.
Review
"[A] spare, elegant first novel...Somerville's themes of a broader sense of interconnectivity and the resultant miracles of everyday existence retain their strength and affirm the value of forming and keeping families."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"The stories alternate chapters and eventually come together in this satisfyingly sweet tale of love, commitment, and self-discovery. First novelist Somerville keeps us engaged in this slim novel from the outset. Though readers might guess the connections, they will want to see how the author provides the perfect denouement."--Library Journal
Review
"With highly charged lyricism and dramatic concision, Somerville gracefully illuminates what children need, all that war demands, and how amends are made and sorrows are woven into the intricate tapestry of life."--Booklist
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Review
"A
Video
About the Author
Patrick Somerville grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and later earned his MFA from Cornell University. He is also the author of the story collection Trouble (Vintage, 2006). He lives with his wife in Chicago, where he teaches creative writing at Northwestern University.