Synopses & Reviews
Writing with the sustained brilliance that made a Pulitzer Prize finalist of her previous novel, Joanna Scott shines her lights upon the inner lives of children and the complexities of the family bond in this astonishing new novel.
Make Believe is the story of a family stunned by tragedy and the regenerative forces at work in the aftermath. At the center of the novel is three-year-old Bo, a boy who has been orphaned in the car accident that killed his mother. Bo becomes the focus of a fierce custody struggle between his two sets of very different grandparents. As the grownups play out their secret desires, hidden resentments, and stubborn self-righteousness, Bo finds himself at the mercy of the fallible adult world. Whom should he trust? What should he believe?
With a child's perfect but partial understanding, he flees into himself away from the sea of strangers where he inhabits a vivid inner landscape filled with the dreamlike intensity unique to the imagination of a child. Moving with muted elegance between the points of view of Bo and members of his family, Make Believe explores the vulnerability of a child's developing consciousness, the profound interconnectedness of even the most imperfect humans, and the imagination with which all human beings invent their worlds. This is a moving and unforgettable novel from a writer the
New York Times has hailed as "a greatly gifted and highly original artist."
Review
"Scott is such a fine and subtle writer...so steady and particular is the strong light of her gaze that each character...is brilliantly illuminated." New Yorker
Synopsis
"This is a compelling story that will leave readers haunted by Scott's powerful moral vision." -- Publishers' WeeklyWhen four-year-old Bo is orphaned in the car accident that kills his mother, he becomes the focus of a fierce custody struggle and flees into himself--away from the sea of strangers--where he inhabits an eerie inner landscape.
The world of "make believe" into which we are drawn in this remarkable novel--hailed for both its lyrical prose and its profound dramatic and emotional intensity--is the world of four-year-old Bo, cast adrift in a sea of strangers as he becomes the focus of a fierce custody battle between two sets of grandparents, one black and one white.
Synopsis
When four-year-old Bo is orphaned in the car accident that kills his mother, he becomes the focus of a fierce custody struggle and flees into himself -- away from the sea of strangers -- where he inhabits an eerie inner landscape. The world of make believe into which we are drawn in this remarkable novel -- hailed for both its lyrical prose and its profound dramatic and emotional intensity -- is the world of four-year-old Bo, cast adrift in a sea of strangers as he becomes the focus of a fierce custody battle between two sets of grandparents, one black and one white.
This is a compelling story that will leave readers haunted by Scott's powerful moral vision.-Publishers' Weekly
About the Author
Joanna Scott is the author of seven books of fiction, including the novels Tourmaline and Arrogance, and the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning story collection Various Antidotes. She is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Lannan Award, and lives with her family in Rochester, New York.