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Troublemaker
Earl, a 20-something Southern kid, is adrift in life. After his father's death, his mother - who can no longer deal with him - sends him to live with his grandmother in Memphis. His grandmother, getting senile and paranoid, turns him out on the streets of Memphis and from there his path leads him to New York City. In New York, Earl works as a hustler, then as a kept boy, but ultimately fails at both. Addicted and lost, he ends up on a train back to Omaha, where his mother keeps her door closed against him. With nowhere else to go, Earl ends up walking the grounds of a local carnival where he meets Red, an enigmatic 20-something man to whom Earl tries to attach himself, only to have Red slip away. Now the obsession with Red is the only thing driving him and Earl takes off to find this man whom he barely knows.
As the narrative moves backward and forwards in time, Troublemaker slowly reveals the truth about Earl, his past, his family, and his driving obsession with Red. Moving, compelling, and darkly funny, Troublemaker is about dislocation, obsession, and the search for affection. Pera's debut is a tour-de-force of voice and structure, marking the emergence of a major young writer.
As the narrative moves backward and forwards in time, Troublemaker slowly reveals the truth about Earl, his past, his family, and his driving obsession with Red. Moving, compelling, and darkly funny, Troublemaker is about dislocation, obsession, and the search for affection. Pera's debut is a tour-de-force of voice and structure, marking the emergence of a major young writer.
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2000
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2018
I don't know what to say about this book.
It's engaging, but a lot like watching a major fire or traffic incident or a hurricane hit. It's something you want to look at to see what happens, but it's also not very substantive.
I like the last bit of the book, that made it worth it, but it was a long, long, confusing journey to get there.
It's engaging, but a lot like watching a major fire or traffic incident or a hurricane hit. It's something you want to look at to see what happens, but it's also not very substantive.
I like the last bit of the book, that made it worth it, but it was a long, long, confusing journey to get there.
April 11, 2013
A gripping story
The novel focuses on a young man, named Earl, who leads a harsh lifestyle, lives from hand to mouth and attempts to find his place among indifferent relatives. The story starts out slow with Earl, the narrator, drifting from the past to the present, wandering from place to place, and living from hand to mouth. Simultaneously, he is trying to find a man named Red, who disappears and wants to remain that way. The flawed characters are sometimes humorous, impertinent, and often cruel. The story reminds us that a person’s appearance and status can be deceiving and precarious.
The novel focuses on a young man, named Earl, who leads a harsh lifestyle, lives from hand to mouth and attempts to find his place among indifferent relatives. The story starts out slow with Earl, the narrator, drifting from the past to the present, wandering from place to place, and living from hand to mouth. Simultaneously, he is trying to find a man named Red, who disappears and wants to remain that way. The flawed characters are sometimes humorous, impertinent, and often cruel. The story reminds us that a person’s appearance and status can be deceiving and precarious.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews