A bold, arresting new work of fiction from the acclaimed author of Everything Matters! and the forthcoming novel The One-Eyed Man (March 2017) In this tour de force of imagination, Ron Currie asks why literal veracity means more to us than deeper truths, creating yet again a genre-bending novel that will at once dazzle, move, and provoke. The protagonist of Ron Currie, Jr.’s new novel has a problem—or rather, several of them. He’s a writer whose latest book was destroyed in a fire. He’s mourning the death of his father, and has been in love with the same woman since grade school, a woman whose beauty and allure is matched only by her talent for eluding him. Worst of all, he’s not even his own man, but rather an amalgam of fact and fiction from Ron Currie’s own life. When Currie the character exiles himself to a small Caribbean island to write a new book about the woman he loves, he eventually decides to fake his death, which turns out to be the best career move he’s ever made. But fame and fortune come with a price, and Currie learns that in a time of twenty-four-hour news cycles, reality TV, and celebrity Twitter feeds, the one thing the world will not forgive is having been told a deeply satisfying lie. What kind of distinction could, or should, be drawn between Currie the author and Currie the character? Or between the book you hold in your hands and the novel embedded in it? Whatever the answers, Currie, an inventive writer always eager to test the boundaries of storytelling in provocative ways, has essential things to impart along the way about heartbreak, reality, grief, deceit, human frailty, and blinding love.
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"I just enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the writing. The format. The various characters I met. I just enjoyed my time reading this book. Which is the reason I read...to immerse myself on something worthwhile."
— Michelle (4 out of 5 stars)
“The novel’s untraditional, stylized pacing is expertly executed, delivering a story equal parts dark humor and unpreventable tragedy…Sharp and sarcastic, Currie’s dramatic story keeps you tethered in place, letting the world spin in orbit while his voice gently directs the tour. It’s a truly genuine love story wrapped in a series of comically improbable events.”
— Daily Beast“Trust the author of the acclaimed and decidedly unorthodox God Is Dead and Everything Matters! to craft an arresting bit of metafiction.”
— Library Journal“A postmodern love story, self-consciously playful in a Vonnegut-ian way…Free-wheeling—and at times both moving and hilarious.”
— Kirkus Reviews" If I was rating the book based on the second half, it would have gotten a 4, if on the first half, a 2, so it evened out to a 3. Personally I kept thinking "yeah, this is sort of funny, but it was funnier when Thomas McGuane wrote it way back in the 70s the first time." Somehow the book blossoms eventually, and it turned out to be worth wading through some material that should have been shortened a bit. "
— Lisa, 2/20/2014" I really enjoyed this book it was enjoyable and had a little bit of everything, like life. "
— Jeff, 12/14/2013" I won this book in a giveaway. It breaks from the typical romance story and will take you on a new perspective of a man's life. Quite enjoyable. "
— Hannah, 10/26/2013" Post-modern fiction. Whatever that means. "
— Stephanie, 8/26/2013" 4.5 stars: more soon! "
— Karli, 8/19/2013" Loved this book! Heart-wrenching, fast-paced, and raw. Love, love, love. "
— Tanya, 7/28/2013" And then I read things like this that make me realize, I really shouldn't give up writing. "
— Kim, 4/5/2013" I had two main thoughts while reading this book. First, the author has a different and interesting writing style. I like it. And second, the two main characters are really screwed up individuals. "
— Mandy, 2/25/2013Ron Currie is the author of the novels Everything Matters! and Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles and the short story collection God Is Dead, which was the winner of the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award. In 2009, he received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His books have been translated into fifteen languages. He lives in Portland, Maine.