American Purgatorio - Softcover

Haskell, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031242499X ISBN 13: 9780312424992

Publisher: Picador, 2006

Synopsis

American Purgatorio is the story of a happily married man who discovers, as he walks out of a convenience store, that his wife has suddenly vanished. In cool, precise prose, written as both a detective story and a meditation on the seven deadly sins, Haskell tells a story that ranges from the brownstones of New York City to the sandy beaches of Southern California. The novel follows the journey of a man whose object of desire is both heartbreaking and ephemeral, and confirms John Haskell's reputation as "one of those rare authors who makes language seem limitless in its possibilities" (Los Angeles Times).

About this title

Review:

"Make no mistake: this is not an ordinary novel . . . [it's] a literary affirmation of fiction's potential to go beyond mere scene . . . and tap into the deepest roots of human motive." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Gutsy, weirdly engrossing . . . Turn the last page and you'll realize that this strange, moving book has done just what a first novel should: It has left an impression." --The New York Times Book Review

"One of those books that sets the reader's mind in new directions." --Houston Chronicle

"All suspicions are now confirmed. Haskell is a terrific writer." --The Buffalo News

From the Back Cover:

Jack's wife has disappeared. She was in the car when they stopped for gas, he knows that much. He walked back from the counter, and then . . . Jack can't remember. But Anne has gone. John Haskell's American Purgatorio is an extraordinary debut novel; haunting, comic and achingly poignant. It's a road trip into the heart of a country and a man, a travelogue of loss and redemption, a Pilgrim's Progress for a godless world.

'Terrific' Sunday Telegraph

'Truly astounding and unquestioningly original, besides being a gripping read. Quite simply, a miracle of a novel' John Burnside, Scotsman

'Fresh, light, deep, sad, funny' Tim Pears

'Haskell's debut novel is like nothing else you'll read this year' GQ

'Sad, funny and elegiac' Independent on Sunday

'From the Don Delillo school of fiction - in which diamond-hard craftsmanship is matched with an acute eye for the banalities of modern life' The Times

'A book that swims amongst the deep unknown but is alive with an understated wisdom, humour and tenderness' I-D

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 031242499X
• ISBN 13: 9780312424992
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 250