Castaway - Softcover

Cozzens, James Gould

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0929587170 ISBN 13: 9780929587172

Publisher: Ivan R Dee, 1989

Synopsis

An unspecified catastrophe has overtaken New York. Mr. Lecky, the sole survivor, finds himself in a great department store which has also escaped destruction. Here is everything a human being might need, not only to support existence but to afford luxury and comfort. But not quite everything. As the story unfolds with frightening realism, it becomes clear that Mr. Cozzens has constructed a modern parable of the tale of Robinson Crusoe, one with powerful implications -- philosophical, psychological, mystical.

About this title

Review:

Thoroughly upsetting nightmarish story, with a dubious beginning and a yet more dubious end. A sort of Thorne Smith gone loco, minus his usual interblending of sex phantasms. The story of a man of uncertain mental equipment immured in a department store while civilization has been, apparently swept from the earth. The embarrassment of plenty - with no satisfaction in possession. Parts of it are so well done that it seems a pity that it is confused by nightmares of confusion and - at times - unmotivated horrors. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author:

James Gould Cozzens (1903 1978) was born in Chicago and studied at the Kent School in Connecticut and at Harvard University. He left Harvard to devote his full time to writing, and over time his career was distinguished by critical and popular success. His novels include Men and Brethren, The Just and the Unjust, and Guard of Honor, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ivan R Dee
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0929587170
• ISBN 13: 9780929587172
• Binding: Paperback