Over There - Hardcover

Jarrard, Kyle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1880909537 ISBN 13: 9781880909539

Publisher: Baskerville Pub, 1997

Synopsis

Marc, a writer for a quiz show, uses his vacation to write about his grandfather, Ansel, who moved to Mexico after the death of his wife, in a novel that moves from Paris to Mexico and beyond, and explores the lives of three generations--Ansel, his son-in-law, Henri, and Marc

About this title

From the Author

A literary comic romp through France, Mexico and Texas.
"This one raises the curtain on something new. For just when you thought all the bad books had won, a new creature appears on the stage, thumbing its nose. Been to Paris? You'll see how bad it is to grow old in that unhappy tomb. Been to Mexico? Get ready for a bowel-churning chase under the violet moon. Dream of retiring to turquoise islands? Pack your survival kits for a time-bending hurricane. You're going anywhere and everywhere on this dangerously hilarious romp. A thousand and one poetry-tipped banderillas get jammed into the nape of your neck, leaving you stumbling in the dust but grinning ear-to-ear. I see the trio of Beckett, Burroughs and Percy high in the cheap seats looking down as the scenes clip by: The old boys are guffawing and passing laced popcorn, as well they should be. This is not just fun, it's bawdy matinee on an end-of-the-world afternoon. You could call it Jarrard's first novel, but let's be serious: It's out there. --DAVID OHLE, author of the novel "Motorman." What is is about? A young man, his father and his grandfather take turns telling the story of the old man's final fugue -- running away from a pampered old age in Paris to a last stab at life in Mexico. Not only does the old man succeed in his quest, but he manages to keep his son-in-law -- who pursues him across the country -- at bay for almost the entire book. The family don is finally found just as a hurricane sweeps in on a tiny coastal island, where he taken refuge with a woman who runs a modest restaurant. Her skirts (over a farthingale) are as big as a king-sized bed, her sun hat the size of a dining room table. This is far-out, imaginative fun, permeated with the guilty pleasures of a getaway to one of the world's best-kept-secret regions of bohemian inspiration, the southern stretches of the Yucatan Peninsula, where at least the monkeys speak English. Kyle Jarrard is an editor at the International Herald Tribune in Paris. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as Descant and The North American Review. The latter has also published a chapter from his forthcoming second novel, "Down in There." Mr. Jarrard lives near Paris with his French wife, his 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.

Edition details

• Publisher: Baskerville Pub
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1880909537
• ISBN 13: 9781880909539
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 283