Apology
A Novel
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An immigrant takes the blame for his nephew's mistake, changing both of their lives, in this "acutely observed" novel by a prize-winning author (Publishers Weekly).
When nine-year-old Tom Serafino's twin sister Teagan suffers a debilitating brain injury at a Virginia construction site, a police investigation implicates his playmate Mario's uncle—an immigrant transient worker known as Shoe. Innocent of the crime but burdened by his own childhood tragedy, Shoe takes the blame for what is in fact an accident caused by his young nephew, ensuring Mario's chance at a future publicly unscarred.
The lines between innocence and guilt, evasions and half-truths, love and duty are blurred. Can a lie born from resignation, fear, and love transform tragedy into hope? And is the life of one man worth the price of that lie? Apology explores how the decisions we make in an instant reverberate in the years to come, and paints a portrait of sacrifice within two immigrant families raising first-generation Americans. It explores the measure of duty we have toward one another, and the extent to which abandoning the wreckage of family and the past often leads to unexpected consequences.
"Apology is a page-turner of ideas, and it shows us how our actions spin out in crazy directions, marbles that roll under our lives' furniture and come out in the most surprising times. I loved it." —Darin Strauss, author of The Queen of Tuesday
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pineda's debut novel (after the memoir, Sleep in Me) is told in short scenes spanning decades and involving a handful of characters, leaving the reader to, if not put the pieces together, at least fill in the interstices of the story, which begins when young Tom ignores his twin sister Teagan so he can play with his pals. Notable among these is Mario, "a dumpy kid with a bowl cut," whose uncle, known affectionately as "Shoe," is staying with Mario's family, and dreaming of the idyllic domestic life of his married brother. Teagan goes to a construction site and is bullied by Mario until she hurts herself badly. Shoe, working at the site, discovers her and protects his nephew by taking legal responsibility for her injuries, changing the lives of all involved. Teagan suffers brain damage, consigning her to the world of special education. Both Tom and Mario live under burdens of guilt, of very different kinds. Mario turns into an overachiever, becoming a respected surgeon and intermittently working for his uncle's release from prison, while Tom grows into a wary and tentative adult, afraid of commitment. Shoe seems to live most fully in the moment, both in prison and after getting released. An acutely observed if sometimes frustrating novel.
