Weeping Underwater Looks a lot Like Laughter
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- 13,99 $
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- 13,99 $
Description de l’éditeur
"Smart, ironic prose...reminiscent of Dave Eggers." -Library Journal
George Flynn is the new nobody at St. Pius High School, until he falls in with the enchanting Schell sisters. Emily, an aspiring actress, is the object of his infatuation. But there's something special about her quirky younger sister, Katie, who has her own crush on George, not to mention a scathing deadpan sense of humor in the face of multiple sclerosis.
When an accident destroys their delicate balance, George and Emily find themselves searching for forgiveness yet losing each other.
With no-holds-barred honesty and razor-sharp wit, Michael J. White's debut novel explores friendship, first love, and a young man's need to come of age without coming undone.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The title of White's first novel says little about the story found within, but much about the heavily stylized narrative. High school junior George Flynn, newly transplanted to Des Moines, Iowa, spends his first night in town in a hotel while a murder takes place on the floor below his family's room. This adds a slight edge to the regular stress of being the new kid at school, but George soon falls into familiar coming-of-age patterns, becoming infatuated with Emily Schell, the school's leading actress, and befriending Emily's caustic, multiple sclerosis afflicted younger sister, Katie. By navigating Katie's nascent crush and the slippery territory of "friendship" with Emily, George quickly discovers how he fits in Des Moines, but a tragic accident unravels his new life even as it may be leading him down the path to love. White is at his best when his characters churn through unanswered and unanswerable questions, such as the hotel murder and the events that propel the novel's second half. Conversely, the author stumbles on the details of George's adult life, while young George and Emily's adventures feel constructed and artificial, as if the story's main goal is to appear clever.
