Synopses & Reviews
From the author of the award-winning GraceLand comes a searing, dazzlingly written novel of a tarnished City of Angels Praised as singular (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and extraordinary (The New York Times Book Review), GraceLand stunned critics and instantly established Chris Abani as an exciting new voice in fiction. In his second novel, set against the uncompromising landscape of East L.A., Abani follows a struggling artist named Black, whose life and friendships reveal a world far removed from the mainstream. Through Blacks journey of self- discovery, Abani raises essential questions about poverty, religion, and ethnicity in America today. The Virgin of Flames, a marvelous and gritty novel filled with indelible images and unforgettable characters, confirms Chris Abani as an immensely talented writer.
Review
"A bleak, searing and sad portrait of outcasts." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"...Abani imagines a place that is horrifying and tender and absurd in equal measure. But with its uneven tone and meandering story, the book doesn't quite hold together. The language veers from portentous to reportorial, and sometimes falls flat, as in a dull first-date scene between Black and Sweet Girl. As a result the final conflagration carries less impact than it might have. Still, these are the missteps of an ambitious writer with an original perspective. In The Virgin of Flames he audaciously stakes his claim on a city not his own. And wisely, he doesnt so much try to reveal its hidden side as to give it a costume, or a paint job, of his own making." The New York Times
Synopsis
A gritty novel set against the backdrop of East L.A. follows a struggling artist named Black on a journey of self-discovery that reveals important questions about poverty, ethnicity, and religion in modern-day America. By the author of the award-winning GraceLand. Original. 50,000 first printing.
Synopsis
From the author of the award-winning GraceLand comes a searing, dazzlingly written novel of a tarnished City of Angels
Praised as "singular" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and "extraordinary" (The New York Times Book Review), GraceLand stunned critics and instantly established Chris Abani as an exciting new voice in fiction. In his second novel, set against the uncompromising landscape of East L.A., Abani follows a struggling artist named Black, whose life and friendships reveal a world far removed from the mainstream. Through Black's journey of self-discovery, Abani raises essential questions about poverty, religion, and ethnicity in America today. The Virgin of Flames, a marvelous and gritty novel filled with indelible images and unforgettable characters, confirms Chris Abani as an immensely talented writer.
Synopsis
From the author of the award-winning GraceLand comes a searing, dazzlingly written novel of a tarnished City of Angels Praised as singular (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and extraordinary (The New York Times Book Review), GraceLand stunned critics and instantly established Chris Abani as an exciting new voice in fiction. In his second novel, set against the uncompromising landscape of East L.A., Abani follows a struggling artist named Black, whose life and friendships reveal a world far removed from the mainstream. Through Blacks journey of self- discovery, Abani raises essential questions about poverty, religion, and ethnicity in America today. The Virgin of Flames, a marvelous and gritty novel filled with indelible images and unforgettable characters, confirms Chris Abani as an immensely talented writer.
About the Author
CHRIS�ABANI�is the author of the acclaimed novels GraceLand, which was shortlisted for the Dublin International IMPAC Award and won the PEN/Hemingway Award, and The Virgin of the Flames, a New York Times Editors' Choice selection, as well as�several collections of poetry.� He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the PEN USA Open Book Award and PEN USA Freedom-to-Write Award, the Prince Claus Award, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, a California Book Award, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and has three Pushcart nominations to his name.� He was born in Nigeria and currently teaches at the University of California, Riverside.