First published 1974
The tenants of 334 East 11th Street struggle through daily life in a dystopian New York City where the government rations childbirth and sanctions drug use. An elderly woman discovers unexpected romance with her assigned social worker. A grieving widow attempts to contact her deceased husband's spirit. A wealthy child plans a senseless killing for entertainment. Their stories unfold across decades as society crumbles around them. Museums display real food like precious artifacts while hospital workers steal bodies on the side. The building becomes a microcosm where personal relationships fracture and rebuild against the backdrop of systematic decay. Each character faces the same question: how to find human connection when institutions have replaced compassion with control. Their interwoven fates reveal the cost of surviving in a world that has abandoned its most vulnerable citizens.
Genres: fiction, dystopia, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, societal-collapse
Setting: New York City
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
269 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon Books
Content warnings: drug-use, violence