The Big Door Prize
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
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The New York Times bestselling author of My Sunshine Away returns with a gripping and heartfelt novel about a mysterious machine that upends a small Louisiana town, asking us all to wonder if who we truly are is who we truly could be.
What would you do if you knew your life's potential? That's the question facing the residents of Deerfield, Louisiana, when the DNAMIX machine appears in their local grocery store. It's nothing to look at, really—it resembles a plain photo booth. But its promise is amazing: With just a quick swab of your cheek and two dollars, the device claims to use the science of DNA to tell you your life's potential. With enough credibility to make the townspeople curious, soon the former teachers, nurses, and shopkeepers of Deerfield are abruptly changing course to pursue their destinies as magicians, cowboys, and athletes—including the novel's main characters, Douglas Hubbard and his wife, Cherilyn, who both believed they were perfectly happy until they realized they could dream for more....
Written with linguistic grace and a sense of wonder, The Big Door Prize sparkles with keen observations about what it might mean to stay true to oneself while honoring the bonds of marriage, friendship, and community, and how the glimmer of possibility can pull these bonds apart, bring them back together, and make second chances possible, even under the strangest of circumstances.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Small-town life meets magical realism in M. O. Walsh’s heartfelt literary comedy. The residents of Deerfield, Louisiana, are getting ready for their bicentennial celebration when a mysterious vending machine appears in the local supermarket. The DNAMIX machine states that it can predict a person’s potential by analyzing their DNA, but what it actually achieves is making the people of the quiet, idyllic community question everything they thought they knew. We absolutely loved Deerfield’s quirky and relatable inhabitants, from the history teacher who longs to be a jazz trombonist to the teenage Pokémon gamer coping with loss. Don’t be surprised if you burst out laughing at some of the characters’ antics (and costume choices) as they embrace or reject what the DNAMIX predicts for them. Full of humour and wisdom, The Big Door Prize is an uplifting read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Walsh (My Sunshine Away) skirts the edge of fantasy in this playful and touching tale set in small-town Deerfield, La. After a mysterious, photo booth size machine called the DNAMIX appears at the town's grocery store, word of its supposed powers of prognostication spreads rapidly. Customers are instructed to swab the inside of their cheek, and a readout will appear telling them what "your body and mind are capable of doing." Many of the townspeople indulge, including high school history teacher and aspiring trombonist Douglas and his wistful homemaker wife, Cherilyn. Meanwhile, introverted 16-year-old Jacob, recovering from the recent death of his twin brother, Toby, in a car accident, is manipulated by Toby's ex-girlfriend Trina, who blames the whole school for Toby's death and wants revenge. As Jacob worries he'll be roped into Trina's violent revenge plan, Douglas and Cherilyn's "happy and uncomplicated marriage" begins to fall apart after Douglas, whose DNAMIX readout offers no surprises ("Whistler. Teacher") discovers Cherilyn's, which indicates her "life station" will be "royalty." Walsh follows these characters with humor and compassion, leading them to an ending readers will find surprising and satisfying. The novel transcends its quirky premise, offering many insights on the mysteries of the human heart.
