See How Small: A Novel - Softcover

Blackwood, Scott

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031637394X ISBN 13: 9780316373944

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2015

Synopsis

A riveting novel about the aftermath of a brutal murder of three teenage girls, written in incantatory prose "that's as fine as any being written by an American author today." (Ben Fountain)

One autumn evening in a Texas town, two strangers walk into an ice cream shop shortly before closing time. They bind up the three teenage girls behind the counter, set fire to the shop, and disappear. SEE HOW SMALL tells the stories of the survivors--family, witnesses, and suspects--who must endure in the wake of atrocity.

Hovering above the aftermath of their deaths are the three girls. They watch over the town, trying to connect with and prod to life those they left behind. "See how small a thing it is that keeps us apart," they say. A master of compression and lyrical precision, Scott Blackwood has surpassed himself with this haunting, beautiful, and enormously powerful novel.

About this title

Review:

The Amazon Spotlight Pick for January 2015: Though based on a real unsolved murder of three girls in Austin, Texas, See How Small is not a traditional mystery or thriller. Author Scott Blackwood moves back and forth through time in his novel, examining multiple dimensions of the fallout from a heinous crime. For those looking for a neat bow tied on the end of a grisly, inexplicable murder, this is not the novel for them. But for those in search of a deeper way to understand the darker, more inexplicable side of life, and to enjoy some excellent writing in the process, See How Small has much to offer. Blackwood uses exceptional prose—along with his nonlinear storytelling—to explore grief, memory, and even how it feels to have been part of a crime years afterward.--Chris Schluep

About the Author:

Scott Blackwood is the author of two previous books of fiction, In the Shadow of Our House and We Agreed to Meet Just Here, and the recipient of a Whiting Writers' Award. He's also the Grammy Award-nominated author of The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records, a two-volume narrative about American's greatest "race record" label and the rise of early jazz and blues. Blackwood resided in Austin, Texas, for many years and now lives in Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 031637394X
• ISBN 13: 9780316373944
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240