I Could Live Here Forever
A Novel
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4,1 • 76 đánh giá
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- 12,99 US$
Lời Giới Thiệu Của Nhà Xuất Bản
A BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK
“Halperin’s radiant second novel walks the fine line between the longing for couplehood and the torture of codependency. . . . Let the rapturous intimacy and gut-churning ups and downs begin!” —Leigh Haber, The New York Times Book Review
“I read this book in three days and canceled plans to finish it. It is heart-wrenching and relatable in so many ways.” —Emma Roberts
By the award-winning author of Something Wild, a gripping portrait of a tumultuous, consuming relationship between a young woman and a recovering addict
When Leah Kempler meets Charlie Nelson in line at the grocery store, their attraction is immediate and intense. Charlie, with his big feelings and grand proclamations of love, captivates her completely. But there are peculiarities of his life—he’s older than her but lives with his parents; he meets up with a friend at odd hours of the night; he sleeps a lot and always seems to be coming down with something. He confesses that he’s a recovering heroin addict, but he promises Leah that he’s never going to use again.
Leah's friends and family are concerned. As she finds herself getting deeper into an isolated relationship, one of manipulation and denial, the truth about Charlie feels as blurry as their time together. Even when Charlie’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, when he starts to make Leah feel unsafe, she can’t help but feel that what exists between them is destined. Charlie is wide open, boyish, and unbearably handsome. The bounds of Leah’s own pain—and love—are so deep that she can’t see him spiraling into self-destruction.
Hanna Halperin writes with aching vulnerability and intimacy, sharply attuned to Leah’s desire for an all-consuming, compulsive connection. I Could Live Here Forever exposes the chasm between perception and truth to tell an intoxicating story of one woman’s relationship with an addict, the accompanying swirl of compassion and codependence, and her enduring search for love and wholeness.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A doomed love affair frames this perceptive sophomore outing from Halperin (Something Wild). Leah Kempler, 25, moves from Boston to Madison, Wis., to pursue an MFA in fiction writing. After a year of writing short stories and doing some casual dating, she meets a guy named Charlie. To Leah, Charlie is "by far the most beautiful human being I have ever laid eyes on," but after she gets to know him a bit, she senses something is amiss about the 31-year-old man who lives with his mom and stepdad in the suburbs. Charlie is sleepy all the time, can't hold down a job, and can't afford to drink in bars (he's already got an MFA, and now works occasionally in construction). He tells her he's recovering from heroin addiction, but soon it emerges, unsurprisingly, that Charlie is still using. As Leah begins sending her work out to literary journals and thinking about her future, she struggles to navigate a relationship she knows can't last. Halperin makes the most of the overly familiar subject matter; the "buzzing electric hum" between the couple feels vital, as does the pull of exasperating and enchanting Charlie on Leah. By the end, even the most grizzled reader might turn into a hopeless romantic.
Nhận Xét Của Khách Hàng
Amazing
First book I have read in awhile. The writing was amazing and I was not able to put the book down!
Un-put-down-able
Vibrant characters in a compelling story. I read it in three long gulps.
Incredible fiction that defines the current era.
Ok here’s the short of my review: this is one of the best novels I’ve ever read. This is fiction that is so well written and so relevant to modern life that it defines the current zeitgeist with its story.