Synopsis
On the first day of spring in the Inland Empire of Southern California, our narrator Joe inadvertently rams his car into Ronnie, a homeless man riding a bicycle. The bike is crushed, aluminum cans are scattered, but a new relationship is formed. Joe encounters Ronnie and his dog Henry at the local dog park, at their campsite by the Santa Ana River, and in other, unexpected locations.
Seemingly content working in a café and leading an aimless life, Joe is twenty-eight and has started writing prose poems and short stories. He walks the streets at night, rides buses to nowhere in particular, swims in the ocean on a whim-sometimes naked, sometimes fully clothed. He is dating Ashley, a transplant from the Midwest who shares his birthday and birthyear and is a poetry professor at a small Christian college. Joe talks to himself, he talks to God, he talks to the dog he acquires. He is in love with Ashley yet longs for his ex, Cora, too.
Reminiscent of John Fante's Ask the Dust, Flannery O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away, and Denis Johnson's Train Dreams, this novel explores themes of solitude, companionship, and personal fulfillment. As the oppressive heat of summer creeps closer to the Inland Empire, Joe acts with a surprising ferocity that will leave him and those around him forever changed.
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About the Author
Derek Updegraff is the author of two short story collections and three poetry collections. Whole is his first novel. His short stories, poems, translations, and essays have appeared in The Carolina Quarterly, the minnesota review, Notre Dame Review, The Southampton Review, Texas Studies in Literature and Language, and other places. Originally from San Diego, California, he lives with his family in upstate South Carolina, where he is an Associate Professor of English at Anderson University.
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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. On the first day of spring in the Inland Empire of Southern California, our narrator Joe inadvertently rams his car into Ronnie, a homeless man riding a bicycle. The bike is crushed, aluminum cans are scattered, but a new relationship is formed. Joe encounters Ronnie and his dog Henry at the local dog park, at their campsite by the Santa Ana River, and in other, unexpected locations. Seemingly content working in a cafe and leading an aimless life, Joe is twenty-eight and has started writing prose poems and short stories. He walks the streets at night, rides buses to nowhere in particular, swims in the ocean on a whim-sometimes naked, sometimes fully clothed. He is dating Ashley, a transplant from the Midwest who shares his birthday and birthyear and is a poetry professor at a small Christian college. Joe talks to himself, he talks to God, he talks to the dog he acquires. He is in love with Ashley yet longs for his ex, Cora, too.Reminiscent of John Fante's Ask the Dust, Flannery O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away, and Denis Johnson's Train Dreams, this novel explores themes of solitude, companionship, and personal fulfillment. As the oppressive heat of summer creeps closer to the Inland Empire, Joe acts with a surprising ferocity that will leave him and those around him forever changed. Reminiscent of John Fante's Ask the Dust, Flannery O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away, and Denis Johnson's Train Dreams, Whole explores themes of solitude, companionship, and personal fulfillment. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781639821693
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