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Publisher<\/p>\n
Knopf Publishing Group<\/p>\n
\n\t \t\t\tA family drama set in Kentucky where the homecoming of two half-brothers\u2014successful Joel with his restless wife Alice, and struggling Emmett\u2014ignites a clash of ambitions and desires, exposing raw truths about class, privilege, and happiness in the American South.\t \t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t \tWhat The Reviewers Say\n\t <\/p>\n
There\u2019s a desperate comedy to the characters\u2019 efforts to stave off boredom by any means \u2014 crime, sex, conspiracy theories \u2014 and a nice fizzy energy to the way even secondary characters are on the make … Cole has an astute ear also for the verbal racket of modern life … From time to time, though, you can hear the clunk of the author pulling levers to advance the plot … The last 50 pages accelerate everything and wrap up all the plot points a bit too quickly. But that\u2019s not fatal: endings are hard, and in a way all these manipulations are an extension of the book\u2019s purpose. Why do we read if not to be taken for a ride by the author? Anyway, the scenes that result from these unlikely developments are funny and interesting, and the ending has a neatness that works, so we forgive them. Fulfillment is engaging, thoughtful and bang up-to-date.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\tRead Full Review >><\/a><\/p>\n Cole mixes the angst and insecurity of class and poverty to craft a Molotov cocktail he lobs with exacting precision. He juxtaposes breathtaking descriptions of the Appalachian countryside against the ravages of late-stage capitalism that have stripped the state\u2019s soul to the bone.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\tRead Full Review >><\/a><\/p>\n Readers who enjoyed Cole\u2019s keenly observed and insightful first novel and were left wanting more of the same\u2014or very similar\u2014will find it in this follow-up effort. Those hoping for something new from this talented author, however, may find fulfillment elusive. If you loved Cole\u2019s first Kentucky-set novel about an endearing underachiever, you will enjoy his second.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\tRead Full Review >><\/a><\/p>\n