by David Rakoff
First published 2013
Characters move through cities and decades in this verse novel that maps the American experience across the twentieth century. Their stories connect through moments of kindness and cruelty that ripple forward through time. A child abandoned in one era becomes the force that shapes another's destiny. Lovers separate and strangers become family. Each life intersects with others in ways both tender and brutal. Rakoff writes with humor and sympathy as his characters navigate a country where freedom can liberate or destroy. The verse form captures both intimate moments and sweeping social changes. Lives begin, flourish, and end, but the connections between people endure. This is a story about how individual acts of generosity or violence echo through generations, binding strangers together across the vast landscape of American life.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, interconnected-stories
Setting: America, United States
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
115 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday