Best Boy: A Novel - Hardcover

Gottlieb, Eli

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1631490478 ISBN 13: 9781631490477

Publisher: Liveright, 2015

Synopsis

New York Times Editor's Choice
People Magazine Pick of the Week
A Washington Post Notable Book
Library Journal Top Ten Books of 2015
BookPage Top Five Books of 2015
For fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time comes this landmark novel about autism, memory, and, ultimately, redemption.

Sent to a “therapeutic community” for autism at the age of eleven, Todd Aaron, now in his fifties, is the “Old Fox” of Payton LivingCenter. A joyous man who rereads the encyclopedia compulsively, he is unnerved by the sudden arrivals of a menacing new staffer and a disruptive, brain-injured roommate. His equilibrium is further worsened by Martine, a one-eyed new resident who has romantic intentions and convinces him to go off his meds to feel “normal” again. Undone by these pressures, Todd attempts an escape to return “home” to his younger brother and to a childhood that now inhabits only his dreams. Written astonishingly in the first-person voice of an autistic, adult man, Best Boy―with its unforgettable portraits of Todd’s beloved mother, whose sweet voice still sings from the grave, and a staffer named Raykene, who says that Todd “reflects the beauty of His creation”―is a piercing, achingly funny, finally shattering novel no reader can ever forget.

About this title

About the Author:

Eli Gottlieb is the author of Best Boy, among other novels. His works have been translated into a dozen languages. He lives in New York City.

Review:

“Affecting.... Todd’s is an engaging and nuanced consciousness, so vital that the reader feels profound tenderness―and distinct fear―as this sweet man ventures out into the world.... As ill-advised as his flight might be, we stand on the ground below...enchanted by the simplicity of his soaring.”
- Bret Anthony Johnston, New York Times Book Review

“Engrossing.... Taking us into Todd's consciousness where emotions are visceral sensations, Gottlieb beautifully illuminates a little-understood world.”
- People Magazine

“Arresting.... The book’s empathy is bracing.”
- The New Yorker

“Raw and beautiful.... With a mesmerizingly rhythmic narration.... What rises and shines from the page is Todd Aaron, a hero of such singular character and clear spirit that you will follow him anywhere. You won’t just root for him, you will fight and push and pray for him to wrest control of his future. You will read this book in one sitting or maybe two, and, I promise, you will miss this man deeply when you are done.”
- Ann Bauer, The Washington Post

“Fascinating.... Gottlieb's imaginings of what's going on in the mind of an adult living somewhere on the autism spectrum feel credible and real.... Lyrical.”
- Carol Memmott, Chicago Tribune

“Readers will cheer―and shudder―for intelligent, compassionate Todd as he grows in this powerfully sad slice-of-life title.”
- Douglas Lord, Library Journal

“Powerful and engaging.... Gottlieb has created something quite exceptional in [Todd Aaron]. His interior life and psychology are convincingly drawn.... A deeply moving portrait of a kind and gentle soul. Recommended for all readers.”
- Patrick Sullivan, Library Journal, Starred review

“[An] eloquent, sensitive rendering of a marginalized life.... Gottlieb merits praise for both the endearing eloquence of Todd's voice and a deeply sympathetic parable that speaks to a time when rising autism rates and long-lived elders force many to weigh tough options.”
- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Amid the flood of books about autism in childhood comes this gripping novel about the fresher territory of autism in midlife. It is written with elan, wit, and great empathy, and it limns in fiction the crisis our nation faces in real life as we try to construct viable supports for this burgeoning population.”
- Andrew Solomon

“This astonishing story of goodness and resilience, about the adventure of loving and being loved, is a marvel of Wordsworthian perception, inviting us to behold existence through unclouded eyes, with an unguarded heart, as though we and the world had never grown apart. The music of consciousness playing in these pages will stay with you long after you've finished reading. A literary experience of piercing, invigorating, profound humanity. A homecoming that restores the mind and soul.”
- Walter Kirn

About this edition

• Publisher: Liveright
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1631490478
• ISBN 13: 9781631490477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256