The Coffins of Little Hope - Hardcover

Schaffert, Timothy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1609530403 ISBN 13: 9781609530402

Publisher: Unbridled Books, 2011

Synopsis

Timothy Schaffert has created his most memorable character yet in Essie, an octogenarian obituary writer for her family’s small town newspaper. When a young country girl is reported to be missing, perhaps whisked away by an itinerant aerial photographer, Essie stumbles onto the story of her life. Or, it all could be simply a hoax, or a delusion, the child and child-thief invented from the desperate imagination of a lonely, lovelorn woman. Either way, the story of the girl reaches far and wide, igniting controversy, attracting curiosity-seekers and cult worshippers from all over the country to this dying rural town. And then it is revealed that the long awaited final book of an infamous series of YA gothic novels is being secretly printed on the newspaper’s presses.

The Coffins of Little Hope tells a feisty, energetic story of characters caught in the intricately woven webs of myth, legend and deception even as Schaffert explores with his typical exquisite care and sharp eye the fragility of childhood, the strength of family, the powerful rumor mills of rural America, and the sometimes dramatic effects of pop culture on the way we shape our world.

About this title

About the Author

Timothy Schaffert grew up on a farm in Nebraska and currently lives in Omaha. He s the author of three previous critically acclaimed novels including The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters and The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God. His novels have been a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a New York Times Editor s Choice. His writing has won numerous other awards and honors awards, including the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award, the Henfield/Transatlantic Review Award and the Nebraska Book Award. He currently teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Review

STARRED REVIEW It's small town, big drama in Schaffert's sublime latest (after Devils in the Sugar Shop) as Essie Myles, an 83-year-old widowed obituary writer for a small Nebraska newspaper stumbles onto the story of her life. The paper's printing press has been working double-time since a New York publisher contracted it to print part of the print run for the final installment of a wildly popular YA novel series--part of a plan to keep the book's contents under wraps--and Essie kicks into high gear as well when she gets a tip from a local that her daughter, Lenore, has been abducted by her photographer boyfriend. But the more Essie digs, it becomes less evident whether the tale is true or the concoction of a lonely woman desperate for attention. Meanwhile, parts of the YA novel are leaked, the missing person story blows up, and the once quiet town suddenly finds itself on the national stage. Schaffert spins out the story and its offbeat characters with compassion, spoofing the nation's voracious appetite for "news" and suggesting that perhaps not all stories are created equal. Piercing observations and sharp, subtle wit make this a standout. (May) --Publisher's Weekly

There s a lot of plot to The Coffins of Little Hope. But Mr. Schaffert s style is so gossamer-light that the story elements don t become cumbersome. His book can accommodate a large cast of characters who bump into one another with an almost screwball regularity ... Mr. Schaffert s sly wit and frank affection for his characters can make him sound like a very American Alexander McCall Smith ... --Janet Maslin, The New York Times

A witty, sometimes profound story about media, mortality and rash acts undertaken in the name of love. --People Magazine

Charm buzzes all around Timothy Schaffert s new novel, but don t be fooled. It s the story of a steadfast, multi-generational family in a small Nebraska town . . . that just happens to be obsessed with death and missing children. The Coffins of Little Hope is like an Edward Gorey cartoon stitched in pastel needlepoint. Its creepiness scurries along the edges of these heartwarming pages like some furry creature you keep convincing yourself you didn t see....alluringly strange to the very last page. --Ron Charles, The Washington Post

About this edition

• Publisher: Unbridled Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1609530403
• ISBN 13: 9781609530402
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272