Little Beasts Format: Paperback

Matthew McGevna; edited by Kaylie Jones

ISBN 10: 1617753475 / ISBN 13: 9781617753473

Published by WW Norton Publishers, 2015

About this Item

Brand New.

Seller Inventory # 9781617753473

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Little Beasts Format: Paperback
• Publisher: WW Norton Publishers
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1617753475
• ISBN 13: 9781617753473
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this evocative debut, the accidental murder of an eight-year-old forces a working-class community to face its demons.

“McGevna’s debut novel captures the familiar rhythms of summertime, following young people on the edge of violence.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“A serious, searing debut novel by a wonderful new writer.” ―Book Riot

The latest from Akashic’s Kaylie Jones Books imprint.

Turnbull is a working-class town full of weary people who struggle to make ends meet. Evictions, alcoholism, and random violence are commonplace. In the heat of July 1983, when eight-year-olds James Illworth, Dallas Darwin, and Felix Cassidy leave their homes to play in the woods, they have to navigate between the potentially violent world of angry adults and even angrier teens. Little do they know that by the end of the summer, one of them will lay dead, after a bit of playful bullying from older teens escalates to tragedy.

Loosely based on a real crime that took place on Long Island in 1979, Little Beasts is a panorama of a poor, mostly white neighborhood surrounded by the affluent communities of the East End. After the murder, the novel’s main characters must come to grips with the aftermath, face down the decisions they’ve made, and reestablish their faith in the possibility of a better world.

Kaylie Jones is the award-winning author of five novels and a memoir. She teaches writing at two MFA programs and lives in New York City.

About the Author

MATTHEW McGEVNA was born and raised in Mastic Beach, Long Island. Born of Irish descent, he attended fiction and poetry workshops in Galway, Ireland, through the University of Arkansas Writing Program. He received his MFA in creative writing from Long Island University’s Southampton College in 2002. An award-winning poet, McGevna has also published numerous short stories in various publications, including Long Island Noir, Epiphany, and Confrontation. He currently lives in Center Moriches, New York, with his wife and two sons, Jackson and Dempsey. Little Beasts is his first novel.