A mercilessly gripping and remarkable debut novel about a man determined not to repeat his father's mistakes.
Luther Albright is a builder of dams, a man whose greatest pride – besides his family – is the house he built himself and the knowledge that he's constructed something that will shelter them from harm.
However, when a minor earthquake shakes his California home it soon reveals fault lines within his family. His son's behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre and threatening, his devoted wife more distant. Meanwhile, the dam Luther built comes under investigation for structural flaws exposed by the earthquake. Nightmarish implications begin to emerge from the most innocent of places as the psychological suspense heightens, to create this harrowing portrait of a decent but flawed man who cannot see the truth.
In the spirit of Rosellen Brown and Alice McDermott, this is a harrowing portrait of an ordinary man who finds himself being tested and strives not to be found wanting.
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‘Mackenzie Bezos has produced a rarity: a sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart ... Its pull is irresistible.’ Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
‘An impressive, quietly powerful debut ... Bezos captures the extraordinary in the ordinary, revealing a subtle imagination and a startling talent for naturalism.’ Publishers Weekly
‘A nuanced, emotionally charged first novel.’ Booklist
What was the inspiration for this book?
‘I’ve always had a deep, nerdy preoccupation with the cumulative effect of tiny misunderstandings in intimate relationships. At dinner parties, in books and movies, in overheard conversations, it’s always the sideline drama of small, well-intentioned acts of evasion or omission that draws my attention and quickens my pulse. Just to give you an idea of the scope of my fixation, for me, one of the most memorable scenes in Star Wars is the one where Luke’s uncle and aunt argue over their expectations for him after he leaves the kitchen.
Luther’s story evolved from this preoccupation, albeit unconsciously. I didn’t set out to write a book about emotional secrecy anymore than I enter movie theaters intending to be transfixed and distracted by purely expository background tensions. But when I sat down to start a novel, every time I created a character that was secretive in this way, I found myself more interested, and the writing got better. Then the characters who loved them tried to draw some degree of emotional honesty from them in increasingly aggressive ways. The tension mounted. At first it surprised me, but now it seems natural. After a straightforward plea, is there any other healthy reaction to distance in an intimate relationship? The only alternative is to accept estrangement, which in some way is what Liz ultimately seems to do. Even the smallest bits of evasion or omission in an intimate relationship build a little bit of distance, erode trust. And in the end, people make decisions based on their own perceptions, which are hard to predict and impossible to control. To me, it’s a fascinating problem. There’s so much tragic potential in it.’
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 304 pages. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0007196725
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