"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Smithy is a 279-pound, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, 43-year-old misfit who works in a G.I. Joe factory putting arms and legs on the action heroes. (How did McLarty come up with that?) He is also the most beguiling anti-hero to come into view in a long, long time. McLarty, an award-winning actor and playwright best known for his many appearances on TV in Law & Order, Sex and the City, The Practice, and Judging Amy, has added another star to his creative crown with this novel.
The first sentence of the book is: "My parents' Ford station wagon hit a concrete divider on U.S. 95 outside Biddeford, Maine, in August 1990." This tragic accident eventually claims both their lives. It is on the day of their funeral that Smithy finds a letter to his father about Bethany, his beloved and deeply troubled sister, stating that, "Bethany Ide, 51, died from complications of exposure... and she has since that time been in the Los Angeles Morgue West." Beautiful Bethany, given to taking off her clothes in public places, holding impossible poses for long periods of time, responding to voices that only she can hear, and disappearing for no known reason. This time, she has been gone for many years and now Smithy knows that she died destitute and alone. When he reads the letter, he is drunk, grief-stricken and, despite a house full of people, he is alone. He goes out to the garage to smoke and have another drink and spies his old Raleigh bicycle. He sits on it, flat tires and all, wheels it to the end of the driveway--and--Smithy doesn’t know it yet, but he is going to ride a bicycle from Maine to Los Angeles to claim his sister's remains.
On the road he meets the good, the bad, and the really bad. He frequently calls Norma, the Ides' across-the-street neighbor, confined to a wheelchair for years, and always in love with him. He has never acknowledged nor returned her ardor, but he starts to count on her friendship during his travels. Their conversations are sweet and revelatory. McLarty has done a superb job of showing us who Smithy is and who he is becoming. It's a wonderful story told with great poignancy and humor. --Valerie Ryan
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A debut novel that comes out of left field; intelligent, original and wonderfully offbeat. This book was the subject of a massive auction in the US, and film rights have now been sold for over 1 million dollars.Smithson Ide's life so far has led him nowhere. He's 43 years old, weighs 279 pounds, and keeps himself numb with food and alcohol. His only emotional ties are to his parents and to the memory of his older sister, Bethany, who has been missing for 20 years. Then his parents die in a car crash and he learns of Bethany's death in LA County. Suddenly there isn't enough beer in the world to keep Smithy from his feelings.Drunk and bereft, he takes his old Raleigh bicycle and starts cycling. Once he starts, he can't stop and then he's riding across America to recover his sister. Along the way he meets all sorts of people who help or hinder him. He hears the confession of a priest, he rescues a boy from a snow storm, he has a gun pointed in his face, he's hit by a truck and helps a man dying of AIDS. Smithy's ride is an extraordinary quest, to rediscover the past and memories of Bethany, but it's also his journey back to life. A debut novel that comes out of left field; intelligent, original and wonderfully offbeat. This book was the subject of a massive auction in the US, and film rights have now been sold for over 1 million dollars. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780751537369
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780751537369
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. A debut novel that comes out of left field; intelligent, original and wonderfully offbeat. This book was the subject of a massive auction in the US, and film rights have now been sold for over 1 million dollars. Seller Inventory # B9780751537369
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780751537369-GDR
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780751537369_new
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 416 pages. 7.76x4.88x1.30 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0751537365
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # d69e06811a71b0dd59b2086afde49775
Book Description Condition: New. 2006. Paperback. A debut novel that comes out of left field; intelligent, original and wonderfully offbeat. This book was the subject of a massive auction in the US, and film rights have now been sold for over 1 million dollars. Num Pages: 416 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 129 x 28. Weight in Grams: 290. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780751537369
Book Description Condition: New. 2006. Paperback. A debut novel that comes out of left field; intelligent, original and wonderfully offbeat. This book was the subject of a massive auction in the US, and film rights have now been sold for over 1 million dollars. Num Pages: 416 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 129 x 28. Weight in Grams: 290. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780751537369