The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets

The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets

A Novel

    • 3.2 • 11 Ratings
    • $10.99
    • $10.99

Publisher Description

An extraordinary debut novel that challenges the definition of family and explores the intricate ties that bind us together

Ida grew up with Jackson and James—where there was “I” there was a “J.” She can’t recall a time when she didn’t have them around, whether in their early days camping out in the boys’ room decorated with circus scenes or later drinking on rooftops as teenagers. While the world outside saw them as neighbors and friends, to each other the three formed a family unit—two brothers and a sister—not drawn from blood, but drawn from a deep need to fill a void in their single parent households. Theirs was a relationship of communication without speaking, of understanding without judgment, of intimacy without rules and limits.

But as the three of them mature and emotions become more complex, Ida and Jackson find themselves more than just siblings. When Jackson’s somnambulism produces violent outbursts and James is hospitalized, Ida is paralyzed by the events that threaten to shatter her family and put it beyond her reach. Kathleen Alcott’s striking debut, The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets, is an emotional, deeply layered love story that explores the dynamics of family when it defies bloodlines and societal conventions.

GENRE
Fiction & Literature
RELEASED
2012
September 11
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
224
Pages
PUBLISHER
Other Press
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
6.3
MB

Customer Reviews

2boys2many ,

Creative Take on Family

Disenchanted and creative, The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets is a surreal and thought-provoking debut.
Ida, Jackson and James. Together since before memory, they make a patchwork family whose lives flow and ebb like a body of water. Ida tells their story of childhood friendship, familial love and adult complications. Jackson suffers from somnambulism which becomes a catalyst for heartbreak.

This was a really unique book. I have never read a novel where a character, in this case Jackson, suffers from sleepwalking. I suffered from sleepwalking as a child and it can be very scary for the ones around you who are not sleeping. This book deals with the effect and aftermath left in the wake of Jackson's adult somnambulism and how Ida deals with it.

Ida isn't afraid to look in the mirror. Through her honest assessment of herself and others we get the true sense of who these people are, what binds them together and what threatens to part them.

There were many good quotes to reflect upon in this book. One of my favorites, which shows Ida's understanding of her attributes that has both hindered and bound her relationship with Jackson, was "Since childhood I've spent my heart and words and a catalog of tiny, insignificant moments trying to merge with a bloodstream not mine."

I do think the flow of the book was held up in some places which tempted me to skim. If you read this, don't give in to temptation. You just might miss some relevant details.

All in all a great debut. I look forward to seeing what Kathleen Alcott has in store for us next.

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More Books by Kathleen Alcott

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