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Abondance
« Tout ce qui comptait, c’était ce petit garçon. »
Henry et son fils Junior dorment dans leur pick-up et se lavent dans les toilettes des McDonald’s. Avant, Henry avait pourtant
un toit au-dessus de sa tête, un boulot, une vie de famille et l’espoir des jours heureux. Mais l’Amérique ne pardonne pas.
Henry a tout perdu et se bat pour son enfant. Demain, Henry a un entretien d’embauche. Il peut s’en sortir. Il doit s’en sortir.
Abondance est le roman de la nouvelle Amérique sauvage, celle des laissés-pour-compte et de l’essence trop chère,
où la vie ne tient qu’à quelques dollars. Par sa prose et la finesse de son regard, Jakob Guanzon nous offre l’inoubliable
et pudique chant d’amour d’un père prêt à tout pour son fils.
Abondance a été sélectionné pour le National Book Award et est traduit dans plusieurs pays.
Henry et son fils Junior dorment dans leur pick-up et se lavent dans les toilettes des McDonald’s. Avant, Henry avait pourtant
un toit au-dessus de sa tête, un boulot, une vie de famille et l’espoir des jours heureux. Mais l’Amérique ne pardonne pas.
Henry a tout perdu et se bat pour son enfant. Demain, Henry a un entretien d’embauche. Il peut s’en sortir. Il doit s’en sortir.
Abondance est le roman de la nouvelle Amérique sauvage, celle des laissés-pour-compte et de l’essence trop chère,
où la vie ne tient qu’à quelques dollars. Par sa prose et la finesse de son regard, Jakob Guanzon nous offre l’inoubliable
et pudique chant d’amour d’un père prêt à tout pour son fils.
Abondance a été sélectionné pour le National Book Award et est traduit dans plusieurs pays.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2021
153 people are currently reading
4408 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
October 30, 2021
Audiobook….read by George Newbern
…..10 hours and 7 minutes
This is a ‘great’ book!!!
I predict author Jakob Guanzon will become a household name in the literary world in the near future. I know I’ll jump to read anything else he writes.
Go in blind if you’re willing: (it sure worked for me)…..
….it’s a visual, tactile, wrenching-truthful-emotional experience.
“No matter how dark life gets, the sun always rises up eventually”.
…..but believe me….life looks pretty dark with no money, and no housing.
The prose shines through the two main characters….
….facing ‘very tough times’.
I came away asking myself…”what can I do to help make a difference?”
I thoroughly admire everything about “Abundance”……(even the word now jolts me).
It’s important—it’s tender…it’s compelling….it’s convincing….with intelligent storytelling….
Basically…..POWERFUL!!
Impossible to not keeping thinking about it — after finishing it.
As the first sentence in the blurb says:
“Abundance”……is …..”a wrenching debut about the causes and effects of poverty, as seen by a father and son living in a pickup”
Pitch perfect!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
…..10 hours and 7 minutes
This is a ‘great’ book!!!
I predict author Jakob Guanzon will become a household name in the literary world in the near future. I know I’ll jump to read anything else he writes.
Go in blind if you’re willing: (it sure worked for me)…..
….it’s a visual, tactile, wrenching-truthful-emotional experience.
“No matter how dark life gets, the sun always rises up eventually”.
…..but believe me….life looks pretty dark with no money, and no housing.
The prose shines through the two main characters….
….facing ‘very tough times’.
I came away asking myself…”what can I do to help make a difference?”
I thoroughly admire everything about “Abundance”……(even the word now jolts me).
It’s important—it’s tender…it’s compelling….it’s convincing….with intelligent storytelling….
Basically…..POWERFUL!!
Impossible to not keeping thinking about it — after finishing it.
As the first sentence in the blurb says:
“Abundance”……is …..”a wrenching debut about the causes and effects of poverty, as seen by a father and son living in a pickup”
Pitch perfect!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
May 12, 2021
4.5 stars.
I loved this book. It is a very real depiction of poverty, addiction and family. I really felt so strongly for all of the main character's struggles, dreams, hopes and emotions. I was rooting for him so hard to find that foot hold and provide his son with his happy ever after. It felt very real and relatable to me. It was extremely heartbreaking, I constantly had a pit in my stomach, so be prepared for that. My heart hurt so much reading about how much he wanted the best for his family despite all of the obstacles put in his way. He definitely was not the best person and rarely made the best decisions, I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't help but admire his strength and perseverance, his genuine want to be and do better . His son was such a sweetheart and I just so strongly wanted better for him than the cards he was dealt in life.
I'm not sure that this book would be for everyone; it's definitely not fast paced or a very plot based story and it does leave you with a lot of unanswered questions, but personally I loved it! The emotions and feelings in this story were just written so beautifully.
I loved this book. It is a very real depiction of poverty, addiction and family. I really felt so strongly for all of the main character's struggles, dreams, hopes and emotions. I was rooting for him so hard to find that foot hold and provide his son with his happy ever after. It felt very real and relatable to me. It was extremely heartbreaking, I constantly had a pit in my stomach, so be prepared for that. My heart hurt so much reading about how much he wanted the best for his family despite all of the obstacles put in his way. He definitely was not the best person and rarely made the best decisions, I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't help but admire his strength and perseverance, his genuine want to be and do better . His son was such a sweetheart and I just so strongly wanted better for him than the cards he was dealt in life.
I'm not sure that this book would be for everyone; it's definitely not fast paced or a very plot based story and it does leave you with a lot of unanswered questions, but personally I loved it! The emotions and feelings in this story were just written so beautifully.
May 28, 2021
Novels like Abundance don't come along very often and writers like Jakob Guanzon are in short supply these days. Here in the sanitized PC twenty-first century, when language is over-policed and ideas matter more than their execution, when writers care more about optioning books than the books themselves and readers want nothing more than light escapism, it's rare to find a book that provides a jolt of gritty realism and a writer who isn't afraid to blast us out of our bubbles. I'm grateful to Guanzon for giving us this book.
Abundance isn't a book that goes down easily. It is the proverbial jagged little pill--bad medicine readers must swallow even if they don't like it. Guanzon tells the story of Henry, an ex-con single dad living unhoused with his son out of an F-250. To say that Henry is desperate is an understatement. Even the price of a McDonald's birthday dinner for his eight-year-old son is a luxury he can't afford. Guanzon takes readers along with Henry on what is without a doubt the worst day of his life. There's too much to get into here and I don't want to spoil the book, but I will say that Murphy's Law applies here, and just about anything that can go wrong with Henry and Junior, his son, does. This guy doesn't get a break, and there is no happily ever after.
For a debut novelist, Guanzon is a master at details. In fact, I'd go so far as to say one of the problems I had with Abundance is the sheer abundance of details Guanzon heaps upon readers page after page. It's great, and it really situates us in the moment, but it can be overwhelming at times. I suppose one could argue that this is what the author wants us to do: feel as overwhelmed by Henry's dire circumstances as he does. Guanzon's prose is dead-on yet irregular. In some chapters I glided along with the sentences. Reading other chapters was an experience akin to driving over rocks. Yet none of that diminished the quality of the book overall. As I mentioned, with so many contemporary novelists puffing their books with lofty diction and dreamy abstraction, Guanzon grounds us in reality. He knows Henry's world and these characters so well it makes me wonder if he can step out of his wheelhouse and delve into a new subject. But we'll have to wait and see.
However skilled in technique he is, Guanzon really tests readers' empathy, patience, and commitment with this book. On the positive side, he manages to give readers several stories here. Abundance is a novel about poverty in contemporary America, but it is also a crime novel and an addiction narrative that includes two father-son stories. It has lots to offer. Yet if you are a reader who needs to like the characters in the books you read, just leave this novel on the shelf. Henry is scuzzy and his drugged-out girlfriend/baby mama Michelle is a skank. I hated Henry's father, a Filipino American would-be scholar with dashed dreams, even when he was trying to do the right thing by Henry. I even hated Junior, the little boy. These are truly repellant characters. Even as Henry struggles to do everything he possibly can to redeem himself and make a life for himself and his son, from subsisting on packets of ketchup to stealing Advil to flirting with a convenience store clerk just to get a gallon of gas, I just couldn't bring myself to root for him. Nevertheless, that doesn't tarnish the masterful writing or execution of this novel.
Like Maid by Stephanie Land and other books that tackle poverty, Abundance is sure to take heat from readers of all political persuasions. But don't get caught up in politics or culture wars. I recommend readers come to this book for the enjoyment of the writing itself and take pleasure in absorbing the work of a new writer at the start of what is sure to be a promising career.
Abundance isn't a book that goes down easily. It is the proverbial jagged little pill--bad medicine readers must swallow even if they don't like it. Guanzon tells the story of Henry, an ex-con single dad living unhoused with his son out of an F-250. To say that Henry is desperate is an understatement. Even the price of a McDonald's birthday dinner for his eight-year-old son is a luxury he can't afford. Guanzon takes readers along with Henry on what is without a doubt the worst day of his life. There's too much to get into here and I don't want to spoil the book, but I will say that Murphy's Law applies here, and just about anything that can go wrong with Henry and Junior, his son, does. This guy doesn't get a break, and there is no happily ever after.
For a debut novelist, Guanzon is a master at details. In fact, I'd go so far as to say one of the problems I had with Abundance is the sheer abundance of details Guanzon heaps upon readers page after page. It's great, and it really situates us in the moment, but it can be overwhelming at times. I suppose one could argue that this is what the author wants us to do: feel as overwhelmed by Henry's dire circumstances as he does. Guanzon's prose is dead-on yet irregular. In some chapters I glided along with the sentences. Reading other chapters was an experience akin to driving over rocks. Yet none of that diminished the quality of the book overall. As I mentioned, with so many contemporary novelists puffing their books with lofty diction and dreamy abstraction, Guanzon grounds us in reality. He knows Henry's world and these characters so well it makes me wonder if he can step out of his wheelhouse and delve into a new subject. But we'll have to wait and see.
However skilled in technique he is, Guanzon really tests readers' empathy, patience, and commitment with this book. On the positive side, he manages to give readers several stories here. Abundance is a novel about poverty in contemporary America, but it is also a crime novel and an addiction narrative that includes two father-son stories. It has lots to offer. Yet if you are a reader who needs to like the characters in the books you read, just leave this novel on the shelf. Henry is scuzzy and his drugged-out girlfriend/baby mama Michelle is a skank. I hated Henry's father, a Filipino American would-be scholar with dashed dreams, even when he was trying to do the right thing by Henry. I even hated Junior, the little boy. These are truly repellant characters. Even as Henry struggles to do everything he possibly can to redeem himself and make a life for himself and his son, from subsisting on packets of ketchup to stealing Advil to flirting with a convenience store clerk just to get a gallon of gas, I just couldn't bring myself to root for him. Nevertheless, that doesn't tarnish the masterful writing or execution of this novel.
Like Maid by Stephanie Land and other books that tackle poverty, Abundance is sure to take heat from readers of all political persuasions. But don't get caught up in politics or culture wars. I recommend readers come to this book for the enjoyment of the writing itself and take pleasure in absorbing the work of a new writer at the start of what is sure to be a promising career.
April 5, 2022
This book had potential and its use of dollar values for each chapter was original, but the protagonist is such an a**h*le that I just could not build any sympathy for him or his whiny kid. It was a slogging tour through a meth-addict wasteland with horror after horror. I truly tried to like the main character, but every time I was almost rooting for him, he would do something either incredibly stupid or selfish. Overall, I couldn't tell if the book was encouraging its readers to drink because, well, everything is f*cked up regardless, or it was saying "Say No to Drugs" a la Nancy Reagan without providing any models to uphold that slogan. Disappointing and yet shows some potential. It will be interesting to see where Guanzon's writing takes us next.
My list of Pulitzer hopefuls for 2022 - stop by and vote today!
My list of Pulitzer hopefuls for 2022 - stop by and vote today!
March 22, 2021
I finished this book days ago but every time I think of it, it carves a fresh pit in my stomach; it hurts in very important ways. One of its blurbs describes it as a love story, and I suppose that's true, as Henry tries (and tries and tries despite some failures) to be a better Pa for his son Junior. But Jakob Guanzon also depicts this sense of American lovelessness. It's embedded in the apathy of the landlord and the motel manager. It deceives with the glitz of McDonald's and the gaudy promise of Everyday Low Prices at Walmart. It forms the architecture of the structures that ensnare Henry as a factory worker, then prisoner, then a nobody to society. Abundance is not a new story, and in many ways its harsh realness prohibits me from thinking of it as merely a story anyway, and that can be accredited to Guanzon's glass-shattered, generous prose as he writes so honestly of a country that has not given enough.
February 15, 2021
Would have been 4 stars with a better ending. It just sort of stopped.
July 18, 2024
Henry, Ex-Knacki, arbeitslos, lebt mit seinem Sohn Junior in einem Pick-up. Er lebt von der Hand in den Mund, hat nur noch ein paar Dollar in der Tasche, bietet sich jeden Tag als Schwarzarbeiter an. Doch er hat die Hoffnung noch nicht völlig verloren: Heute ist Juniors achter Geburtstag, und morgen hat er ein vielversprechendes Vorstellungsgespräch. Doch je länger der Tag fortschreitet, ahnt der Leser, dass die Hoffnung trügen könnte.
Ein White Trash-Drama aus den USA, bei dem man hautnah dabei ist, wie Henry darum kämpft, Leben und Würde zusammenzuhalten. Dabei wird nichts verklärt, Henry ist kein Unschuldslamm und macht auch einiges falsch. Dennoch bedrückt die Perspektivlosigkeit und das System, aus dem man kaum entkommen kann. Abwechselnd zur Gegenwart springt der Autor jedes zweite Kapitel in Henrys Vergangenheit und erzählt, wie es so gekommen ist. Die Kapitel sind als Überschrift mit dem Geldbetrag überschrieben, den er noch besitzt. Ein gelungener Familienroman aus der amerikanischen Unterschicht.
Ein White Trash-Drama aus den USA, bei dem man hautnah dabei ist, wie Henry darum kämpft, Leben und Würde zusammenzuhalten. Dabei wird nichts verklärt, Henry ist kein Unschuldslamm und macht auch einiges falsch. Dennoch bedrückt die Perspektivlosigkeit und das System, aus dem man kaum entkommen kann. Abwechselnd zur Gegenwart springt der Autor jedes zweite Kapitel in Henrys Vergangenheit und erzählt, wie es so gekommen ist. Die Kapitel sind als Überschrift mit dem Geldbetrag überschrieben, den er noch besitzt. Ein gelungener Familienroman aus der amerikanischen Unterschicht.
October 6, 2021
DAMN, DAMN, DAMN. This book is too much. It’s so in your face and I loved it. There is no glamorization of poverty to be found within these pages. The structure is brilliant: each chapter heading is there to tell us the amount of cash our protagonist is carrying around in his pocket. It’s quite effective. I was mesmerized with this story. It’s hard-hitting, it’s sad, it’s smart, it’s overwhelming, it’s dense at times, it’s unapologetically blunt, and sometimes it’s downright claustrophobic. And if you’re a reader who is privileged, it leaves you with two things to reflect on: 1) a look into the world of those who are less fortunate and 2) makes us reevaluate all that we take for granted.
This entire book is a punch to the gut. One of my faves of the year.
This entire book is a punch to the gut. One of my faves of the year.
August 19, 2022
In an unflinching, visceral narrative, Jakob Guanzon uses Abundance to explore poverty, addiction, and inequality in America through the eyes of a homeless father and son. And my God, it gutted me.
Henry and Junior have been living in a truck for the past six months, just barely scraping by on Henry's day laborer wages, but Henry has a big job interview tomorrow. Today is Junior's birthday, and Henry has carefully budgeted for a meal at McDonald's and a night in a roadside motel, where they can sleep in comfort and safety with full bellies. But it all goes wrong when an altercation at the motel has them fleeing into the "flyover country" America of big box stores and chain restaurants. Told on two timelines (the evening before and day of Henry's interview, and the preceding years that brought him to this point), each chapter begins with the amount of money Henry has in his possession. Because here in America, if you aren't a consumer -- you are nothing.
Reading Abundance was a full-body experience for me. My muscles clenched within the first few pages and didn't relax until I'd finished the book, and my heart broke a little more with each page I turned. Henry and Junior's odyssey is gripping, devastating, and desperate and serves to highlight, so brutally, how the system sets up the poor or the previously incarcerated for failure. Guanzon candy-coats nothing about their situation and does not spare his characters, or his readers, the most wrenching, ruthless details about life below the poverty line. His characters are devastatingly, vividly human in the most inhumane circumstances possible, and to say the narrative is effective is a massive understatement.
In short, Abundance wrecked me, completely and utterly. It's bleak and searing and so, so important. Although the plots are quite different, it reminded me a bit of She Rides Shotgun while I was reading it.
Henry and Junior have been living in a truck for the past six months, just barely scraping by on Henry's day laborer wages, but Henry has a big job interview tomorrow. Today is Junior's birthday, and Henry has carefully budgeted for a meal at McDonald's and a night in a roadside motel, where they can sleep in comfort and safety with full bellies. But it all goes wrong when an altercation at the motel has them fleeing into the "flyover country" America of big box stores and chain restaurants. Told on two timelines (the evening before and day of Henry's interview, and the preceding years that brought him to this point), each chapter begins with the amount of money Henry has in his possession. Because here in America, if you aren't a consumer -- you are nothing.
Reading Abundance was a full-body experience for me. My muscles clenched within the first few pages and didn't relax until I'd finished the book, and my heart broke a little more with each page I turned. Henry and Junior's odyssey is gripping, devastating, and desperate and serves to highlight, so brutally, how the system sets up the poor or the previously incarcerated for failure. Guanzon candy-coats nothing about their situation and does not spare his characters, or his readers, the most wrenching, ruthless details about life below the poverty line. His characters are devastatingly, vividly human in the most inhumane circumstances possible, and to say the narrative is effective is a massive understatement.
In short, Abundance wrecked me, completely and utterly. It's bleak and searing and so, so important. Although the plots are quite different, it reminded me a bit of She Rides Shotgun while I was reading it.
January 24, 2021
Thank you NetGalley and Graywolf Press. I received an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
I finished Abundance a few days ago, and it has been on my mind since then. Jakob Guanzon’s debut work brings up questions of class, race, family, and what it takes to get a fair shake in life. With that said, what is a fair shake, anyway? Henry, or Pa, the main character of this book, has been through some tough times. Guanzon walks the reader through various points in Henry’s life, from growing up trying to make ends meet to going to prison to living in a car with his young son, Junior. Each chapter is titled not with a word, but with the amount of money in Henry’s pocket. Timelines jump back and forth between present, recent past, and Henry’s childhood or teenage years.
I loved the way Guanzon explored the characters throughout the book. When Henry was rehearsing lines for his job interview in the motel room bathtub, I felt my heart breaking for him, thinking about his struggles. As Michelle yelled at Henry, wanting to be seen, I could feel her pain and anguish.
I highly recommend this title, and I look forward to reading future works from Jakob Guanzon.
I finished Abundance a few days ago, and it has been on my mind since then. Jakob Guanzon’s debut work brings up questions of class, race, family, and what it takes to get a fair shake in life. With that said, what is a fair shake, anyway? Henry, or Pa, the main character of this book, has been through some tough times. Guanzon walks the reader through various points in Henry’s life, from growing up trying to make ends meet to going to prison to living in a car with his young son, Junior. Each chapter is titled not with a word, but with the amount of money in Henry’s pocket. Timelines jump back and forth between present, recent past, and Henry’s childhood or teenage years.
I loved the way Guanzon explored the characters throughout the book. When Henry was rehearsing lines for his job interview in the motel room bathtub, I felt my heart breaking for him, thinking about his struggles. As Michelle yelled at Henry, wanting to be seen, I could feel her pain and anguish.
I highly recommend this title, and I look forward to reading future works from Jakob Guanzon.
July 19, 2021
The curse of the dual timelines strikes again! I can never seem to be equally excited about both and sometimes my dislike of one totally ruins a story for me. Sadly, that was the case here. I really wanted to cheer for Henry and his son. I really didn't want to read about Henry and his father. Top that off with my desire to give Henry a bunch of resources for food banks, shelters, and services to ex-cons and not understanding, despite the very brief explanation, why he wasn't reaching out for support.
June 8, 2025
I finished “Abundance” yesterday, but I had to walk away before I could even think about writing this. I needed a moment to breathe, to reset, to thank the universe for everything I have.
This book knocked the wind out of me. It’s a hard read, not because of the writing (which is excellent), but because of the truth in it. Jakob Guanzon shows how fragile survival can be, and how quickly it can all unravel.
Henry makes some bad choices. Frustrating ones. But none of them made me as angry as the system that forced him into those choices in the first place. The real villain here isn’t Henry. It’s the world he’s stuck in. Jesus.
This book knocked the wind out of me. It’s a hard read, not because of the writing (which is excellent), but because of the truth in it. Jakob Guanzon shows how fragile survival can be, and how quickly it can all unravel.
Henry makes some bad choices. Frustrating ones. But none of them made me as angry as the system that forced him into those choices in the first place. The real villain here isn’t Henry. It’s the world he’s stuck in. Jesus.
March 29, 2021
I’m just going to say it: this gut-wrenching debut is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It’s one of those novels that touched me so profoundly I’m a little overwhelmed by the idea of reviewing it. Part of me just wants to tell you to trust me on this one and go read it.
What I will say is that the character development in this book is phenomenal. Shortly after his release from prison, Henry is evicted from his trailer and living out of his pickup truck with his eight-year-old son. There’s this palpable tension in Henry between temper and tenderness: he’s constantly on the verge of exploding, but he knows he has to rein in his anger for the sake of his son. He’s imperfect and appropriately frustrated by his circumstances, but he hardly has time to dwell on it.
This is a book about American poverty, about masculinity, about literal scarcity and abstract abundance, about taking small comforts for granted. I urge you to read it and hope you’re as moved by it as I was.
What I will say is that the character development in this book is phenomenal. Shortly after his release from prison, Henry is evicted from his trailer and living out of his pickup truck with his eight-year-old son. There’s this palpable tension in Henry between temper and tenderness: he’s constantly on the verge of exploding, but he knows he has to rein in his anger for the sake of his son. He’s imperfect and appropriately frustrated by his circumstances, but he hardly has time to dwell on it.
This is a book about American poverty, about masculinity, about literal scarcity and abstract abundance, about taking small comforts for granted. I urge you to read it and hope you’re as moved by it as I was.
September 29, 2021
Talk about a gut punch. Every year the national book awards puts a book on my radar that I never would've read otherwise and I end up so grateful for it and this is one of those books. It's a well executed look at the life Iof a felon who's living out of his truck with his son. He's an infuriating character, they all are here, yet you can't help but hope for them and wish for a better world.
September 25, 2021
"Will he end up like all those strangers - hollowed-eyed in traffic, groaning in checkout lines, slumped over shopping carts - and bloat with entitlement? Will he fall into the ranks of their jaded herd? All of them shuffling after the only thing left: more"
A powerful debut that depicts the state of poverty, desire, and capitalism unapologetically!
Abundance is narrated by Henry, an ex-convict who is living out of his pick-up truck with his 8-year-old son Junior. It opens with Henry celebrating Junior's 8th birthday at McDonald's whereby Henry merely had $89.34 cash at hand. After having Junior's birthday meal, Henry treats them to a hotel room so that he can prepare for a job interview for the next day as well. At the same time, Junior fell ill and Henry had a bad fight with another hotel guest. In an alternate timeline, we learn more about Henry's past and how he ended up in prison and being poor. In particular, readers are exposed to Henry's complicated relationship with his strict Filipino Papa, his friend Al who is also a drug dealer, and his wife Michelle, who ended up being a drug addict. Each chapter starts with a unique title that reflects the amount of cash that Henry had at that point in time. It adds to the suffocating atmosphere and Henry's state of poverty.
While poverty may be a common theme in fiction, Guanzon added his own twist by combining poverty with the theme of capitalism, in particular, consumer capitalism. The brilliance of its execution could be seen from how Guanzon opens Abundance with Henry and Junior at McDonald's and ends the story at Walmart. His prose in describing the setting of McDonald's, Walmart, and/or other retail shops which manipulates consumer demand in a deliberate manner through mass-marketing techniques. Guanzon ruthlessly fleshed out a society that is geared towards performative capitalism unintentionally when he describes Henry's experience with a bank teller: "The bank teller had that impostor polish of a poor kid trying not to look poor. The type who'd been duped into believing good behavior and strong grades might get him a rung higher on the ladder, maybe even transport him to either coast someday, to anywhere other than the scorched quicksand of these plains he'd been so unjustly born into". To amplify Henry's days which are measured in dollars and cents, certain sentences are brilliantly "quantumized": "The miracle of life was as gruesome as it was pricey"; "Here was the sum of his efforts - his family and home, his world entire - all right here and within arm's reach".
Apart from setting out the ugly truth of our current society, the intimacy of this story lies in the father and son relationship between Henry and Junior as well as Henry and his Papa. Not only Guanzon is able to set out one's immigrant experience in America through his characters, but he is also able to illustrate the difficulties in a father and son relationship, especially the need and desire to show one's love to his son despite being poor. There's some great character work here. The story ends with a heartbreaking tone when Guanzon ventured into the morally grey area and explored whether it is a crime to steal in order to save the life of one's son. Abundance is definitely a gem discovered by the National Book Foundation and I would love to see this book being named as one of the finalists for the 2021 National Book Award! A 5/5 star rating from me! Thank you Jakob Guanzon for creating a memorable and impactful character that represents the voice of the poor who is learning how to love his son albeit imperfectly.
A powerful debut that depicts the state of poverty, desire, and capitalism unapologetically!
Abundance is narrated by Henry, an ex-convict who is living out of his pick-up truck with his 8-year-old son Junior. It opens with Henry celebrating Junior's 8th birthday at McDonald's whereby Henry merely had $89.34 cash at hand. After having Junior's birthday meal, Henry treats them to a hotel room so that he can prepare for a job interview for the next day as well. At the same time, Junior fell ill and Henry had a bad fight with another hotel guest. In an alternate timeline, we learn more about Henry's past and how he ended up in prison and being poor. In particular, readers are exposed to Henry's complicated relationship with his strict Filipino Papa, his friend Al who is also a drug dealer, and his wife Michelle, who ended up being a drug addict. Each chapter starts with a unique title that reflects the amount of cash that Henry had at that point in time. It adds to the suffocating atmosphere and Henry's state of poverty.
While poverty may be a common theme in fiction, Guanzon added his own twist by combining poverty with the theme of capitalism, in particular, consumer capitalism. The brilliance of its execution could be seen from how Guanzon opens Abundance with Henry and Junior at McDonald's and ends the story at Walmart. His prose in describing the setting of McDonald's, Walmart, and/or other retail shops which manipulates consumer demand in a deliberate manner through mass-marketing techniques. Guanzon ruthlessly fleshed out a society that is geared towards performative capitalism unintentionally when he describes Henry's experience with a bank teller: "The bank teller had that impostor polish of a poor kid trying not to look poor. The type who'd been duped into believing good behavior and strong grades might get him a rung higher on the ladder, maybe even transport him to either coast someday, to anywhere other than the scorched quicksand of these plains he'd been so unjustly born into". To amplify Henry's days which are measured in dollars and cents, certain sentences are brilliantly "quantumized": "The miracle of life was as gruesome as it was pricey"; "Here was the sum of his efforts - his family and home, his world entire - all right here and within arm's reach".
Apart from setting out the ugly truth of our current society, the intimacy of this story lies in the father and son relationship between Henry and Junior as well as Henry and his Papa. Not only Guanzon is able to set out one's immigrant experience in America through his characters, but he is also able to illustrate the difficulties in a father and son relationship, especially the need and desire to show one's love to his son despite being poor. There's some great character work here. The story ends with a heartbreaking tone when Guanzon ventured into the morally grey area and explored whether it is a crime to steal in order to save the life of one's son. Abundance is definitely a gem discovered by the National Book Foundation and I would love to see this book being named as one of the finalists for the 2021 National Book Award! A 5/5 star rating from me! Thank you Jakob Guanzon for creating a memorable and impactful character that represents the voice of the poor who is learning how to love his son albeit imperfectly.
April 23, 2021
Some people would have you believe that poverty is a choice, an option taken by those without the gumption to lift themselves out. They hear poverty and think only of financial deprivation, forgetting about the consequential poverty of options, of support, of respect, of will. Poverty is a parasite that eats away at your humanity.
In Jakob Guanzon’s fiercely potent ‘Abundance’, his impressive debut, the rot of poverty is laid bare, its title an ironic condemnation of a land where the available plenty is not available to all, one where the “parasitic more” is a contagion. Guanzon’s ‘Le Miserable’ is Henry, a father on a desperate spiral for salvation, running away from a broken relationship, a guilt-sodden stretch inside and a battle with addiction, a man clawing to find a way for him and his son to live, a man on the “daily shuffle towards obsolescence”.
A birthday treat for his son Junior comes in the form of a night in a rundown motel, and a meal at McDonald, both too luxurious for Henry’s meagre funds. But plans are derailed when Junior gets sick, and a fateful encounter in the car-park threatens their already vulnerable existence.
In a brilliant formal move, Guanzon’s chapter titles depict Henry’s precarious finances, a relentless budgeting that instils an urgent inevitability, not dissimilar to a nuclear countdown- each minor expenditure shifting Henry’s doomsday clock that closer to midnight. All of this culminates in a deeply stressful, exquisitely crafted finale, set amidst the gorged shelves of plenty in Walmart, that temple of consumerism and excess, which becomes a brashly-coloured site of soul-searching.
Guanzon’s eye for abundant detail is both the novel’s greatest strength and also its most notable flaw. His prose is lyrical, often gliding along with poetic beauty, but also dense and overwhelming with superfluous information, making some chapters feel like wading through tar, but this does feel deliberate: the experience mirroring Henry’s cloying attempts to swim against the whirlpool’s current.
But Henry’s Sisyphean journey towards redemption is impossible in the unforgivable landscape of capitalism: where duty clashes with pride, integrity with necessity and where one will sooner find rejection and suspicion far more than neighbourly goodwill.
Guanzon strains readers’ capacity for empathy: characters are unforgivable, borderline repellant- I found myself not so much rooting for Henry to succeed, as much as longing for an end to having to witness his derailment. Despite this, in a land of such plenty, the fact that a child is forced to live like this, suffering at the hands of not just his parents but also at society’s wider indifference, is a cruelty that carves away at the reader.
In Jakob Guanzon’s fiercely potent ‘Abundance’, his impressive debut, the rot of poverty is laid bare, its title an ironic condemnation of a land where the available plenty is not available to all, one where the “parasitic more” is a contagion. Guanzon’s ‘Le Miserable’ is Henry, a father on a desperate spiral for salvation, running away from a broken relationship, a guilt-sodden stretch inside and a battle with addiction, a man clawing to find a way for him and his son to live, a man on the “daily shuffle towards obsolescence”.
A birthday treat for his son Junior comes in the form of a night in a rundown motel, and a meal at McDonald, both too luxurious for Henry’s meagre funds. But plans are derailed when Junior gets sick, and a fateful encounter in the car-park threatens their already vulnerable existence.
In a brilliant formal move, Guanzon’s chapter titles depict Henry’s precarious finances, a relentless budgeting that instils an urgent inevitability, not dissimilar to a nuclear countdown- each minor expenditure shifting Henry’s doomsday clock that closer to midnight. All of this culminates in a deeply stressful, exquisitely crafted finale, set amidst the gorged shelves of plenty in Walmart, that temple of consumerism and excess, which becomes a brashly-coloured site of soul-searching.
Guanzon’s eye for abundant detail is both the novel’s greatest strength and also its most notable flaw. His prose is lyrical, often gliding along with poetic beauty, but also dense and overwhelming with superfluous information, making some chapters feel like wading through tar, but this does feel deliberate: the experience mirroring Henry’s cloying attempts to swim against the whirlpool’s current.
But Henry’s Sisyphean journey towards redemption is impossible in the unforgivable landscape of capitalism: where duty clashes with pride, integrity with necessity and where one will sooner find rejection and suspicion far more than neighbourly goodwill.
Guanzon strains readers’ capacity for empathy: characters are unforgivable, borderline repellant- I found myself not so much rooting for Henry to succeed, as much as longing for an end to having to witness his derailment. Despite this, in a land of such plenty, the fact that a child is forced to live like this, suffering at the hands of not just his parents but also at society’s wider indifference, is a cruelty that carves away at the reader.
January 28, 2022
So, I didn’t know people *actually* threw their books across the room in outrage — I thought that was just reserved for lovelorn teens in movies — but that’s exactly what I did when I finished Henry and Junior’s story in Abundance. It overwhelmed me: with despair, with hardship, with my own privilege, with the injustice of it all.
My own eight-year-old was with me for much of this read — sometimes literally, reading his own book next to me, but always figuratively. My son in his bed. My son in his warm, clean clothes. My son with a full belly. My son at ease.
Junior, and all the countless other Juniors of the world, deserve those things, too.
I’m pilfering this thought from the NYT, but they noted how so much of poverty is just trying to stay above empty. Billfolds, gas tanks, even our digestive systems count down relentlessly, screaming out for their next deposit. As the reader, you could feel the weight of Henry’s few remaining coins jangling in your pocket. How do you choose between feeding your hungry child today or fueling your car to make a job interview so you can feed them for a hundred days?
Poverty is so cruel.
It’s important to note this book isn’t trauma porn. The characters (except the child) made terrible choices that contributed to their circumstances. Some were justifiable, some were not. Here’s what I know, though: it’s always easier to make good choices after quality sleep and a filling meal.
The book wasn’t without its flaws — “recent MFA!” flashed brightly in neon, as many other reviewers have pointed out. That bit should work itself out as Guanzon continues to develop, and in the meantime, this is such a worthy story to tell.
My own eight-year-old was with me for much of this read — sometimes literally, reading his own book next to me, but always figuratively. My son in his bed. My son in his warm, clean clothes. My son with a full belly. My son at ease.
Junior, and all the countless other Juniors of the world, deserve those things, too.
I’m pilfering this thought from the NYT, but they noted how so much of poverty is just trying to stay above empty. Billfolds, gas tanks, even our digestive systems count down relentlessly, screaming out for their next deposit. As the reader, you could feel the weight of Henry’s few remaining coins jangling in your pocket. How do you choose between feeding your hungry child today or fueling your car to make a job interview so you can feed them for a hundred days?
Poverty is so cruel.
It’s important to note this book isn’t trauma porn. The characters (except the child) made terrible choices that contributed to their circumstances. Some were justifiable, some were not. Here’s what I know, though: it’s always easier to make good choices after quality sleep and a filling meal.
The book wasn’t without its flaws — “recent MFA!” flashed brightly in neon, as many other reviewers have pointed out. That bit should work itself out as Guanzon continues to develop, and in the meantime, this is such a worthy story to tell.
April 23, 2021
This review will be a littl cryptic and mispselled, I'm typing with one hadn adn the other on is hodling a gun to my motuh . . .
YES, this portrayal of poverty in America is that depressing. We all have out theories about the causes of poverty in America, plenty of us have firsthand experience with and the rest of us make assumptions about poverty in America, on any given day you can read three online think pieces and listen to four podcasts about how nobody is talking about poverty in America, but . . . has it ever been rendered in such lyrical language? This is no indictment of lower-class irresponsibility, nor is it a polemic about the victims of late-stage capitalism, it's just one miserable day in the life of one miserable man, rendered in poetic descriptions, imaginative metaphors and shattering insights, absolutely none of which matters because the hero, Henry, is doomed from Page 1. And Mr. Guanzon, crafty sonofagun, has built Henry's offramp onto the road to hell from equal parts personal flaws and unfortunate circumstances, so the reader, depending on their politics, is never vindicated.
I need a horror novel after this. Stephen King isn't half this scary.
YES, this portrayal of poverty in America is that depressing. We all have out theories about the causes of poverty in America, plenty of us have firsthand experience with and the rest of us make assumptions about poverty in America, on any given day you can read three online think pieces and listen to four podcasts about how nobody is talking about poverty in America, but . . . has it ever been rendered in such lyrical language? This is no indictment of lower-class irresponsibility, nor is it a polemic about the victims of late-stage capitalism, it's just one miserable day in the life of one miserable man, rendered in poetic descriptions, imaginative metaphors and shattering insights, absolutely none of which matters because the hero, Henry, is doomed from Page 1. And Mr. Guanzon, crafty sonofagun, has built Henry's offramp onto the road to hell from equal parts personal flaws and unfortunate circumstances, so the reader, depending on their politics, is never vindicated.
I need a horror novel after this. Stephen King isn't half this scary.
May 16, 2021
Gritty, powerful debut novel. Things that worked so well with this book: the chapters are not numbered, but are titled based on the dollar amount Henry has in has pocket; the dual timeline of the now and then where ultimately the two almost converge; the intricate details of the Walmart scene.
Henry is trying to raise his 8 year old son in his Ford F250 essentially on wages earned as a day laborer. What we see through Henry is someone who is clearly struggling and is trying to be a good father, but can't seem to get past his uncontrollable anger issues. He's surviving one day at time, trying to ensure that they have enough money to have a few meager meals a day and enough gas money in his car to get Junior to school and to job sites. The reader wants to empathize with Henry's situation while acknowledging that his downfall is mostly a product of poor decision-making: drug/alcohol use; money mismanagement; Michelle; friends.
Henry is trying to raise his 8 year old son in his Ford F250 essentially on wages earned as a day laborer. What we see through Henry is someone who is clearly struggling and is trying to be a good father, but can't seem to get past his uncontrollable anger issues. He's surviving one day at time, trying to ensure that they have enough money to have a few meager meals a day and enough gas money in his car to get Junior to school and to job sites. The reader wants to empathize with Henry's situation while acknowledging that his downfall is mostly a product of poor decision-making: drug/alcohol use; money mismanagement; Michelle; friends.
May 2, 2021
A beautifully written, gut-wrenching story about trying to survive poverty and hopelessness in America. Henry loses his mother young, and the medical bills impoverish his family. He struggles with addiction and loss, but gets a chance to redeem himself and find purpose with the arrival of his son, Junior.
Filled with desperate, impossible decisions, tantalizing dreams of family and security and love, the story of Henry and his son is truly heartbreaking. It’s about trying to be a good father, and a good person, when the odds are stacked against you. This kind of story runs the risk of feeling clichéd if the characters are flat, but the characters in this are complex and real and human. It’s told with compassion and vivid detail, and still manages to feel tense right to the very end. A brilliant debut.
Filled with desperate, impossible decisions, tantalizing dreams of family and security and love, the story of Henry and his son is truly heartbreaking. It’s about trying to be a good father, and a good person, when the odds are stacked against you. This kind of story runs the risk of feeling clichéd if the characters are flat, but the characters in this are complex and real and human. It’s told with compassion and vivid detail, and still manages to feel tense right to the very end. A brilliant debut.
July 7, 2021
This book broke my heart but I couldn’t stop reading and hoping things would get better for the characters, even when I was at times entirely frustrated and angry with some of them for their poor decisions. Then there was Junior, the child, with no control over the situation and no choice but to make the best of life he was given. I couldn’t help but wonder what the future would hold for him: did he know he was loved? Was it enough? Would he be able to overcome all of this early trauma to become a healthy, functioning adult? This was a difficult book but one I hope people won’t turn away from - understanding cycles of poverty and addiction, criminal justice, unemployment and homelessness - with empathy and a deeper understanding is crucial to our humanity.
August 11, 2021
There is some really good writing in this book -- clever metaphoring, heart-racing scenes -- but unfortunately there is just way too much of it. The sheer wordiness of the writing took me out of the visceral realness of much of the plot. The flashing forward and backward in time every chapter or so also took me out of the moment -- maybe the back story could have been grouped into longer sections, but I think it could have been cut altogether. The protagonist spends so much of the present ruminating on the past here that I don't really understand the point of flashing back structurally at all?
February 8, 2021
How expensive is it to be poor? Guanzon’s debut novel ABUNDANCE is one to watch out for— the language is rooted in the isolation of poverty, “the fangs of the world;” I found myself rereading passages— whole pages filled with text reflect the relentless pace of Henry’s desperation. Devastating, compelling, and a stunning debut.
April 24, 2021
I really wanted to like this book. The “present day” chapters captivated me. Unfortunately, every other chapter (or more) flashes back to explain how Henry got to where he is today. Those chapters muddied the water and provided an excessive amount of unnecessary information. The whole premise of the book was intriguing but unfortunately, the mixture between storylines did not work for me.
February 27, 2025
Time to clean up my currently reading list because there are quite a few on here that I am indeed not currently reading. Like "Abundance".
I added this to my list because I was interested in reading more about homelessness and this is a fitting choice for this as we follow a father and his son who are living out of their car. To celebrate the kid's birthday and to prepare for an important job interview, daddy scrapes together his dollars and pennies and rents a cheap motel room for the night, but there's complications piling up. The set up is fine, clearly this would be a character driven story, which is totally is something I often like but I struggled with the structure. I realized about my taste this year within 2 dnfs that I am not a big fan of the very popular form of alternating chapters where we jump between current events and a timeline from the lead's past. For me you need to to something really special with it, have incredible writing or anything to soar above the basics of the back and forth flip. But this was going through the motions. We get very typical father-son relationship stuff (in the present a more happy one, in the past a more strained one, in both cases each dad is trying in their way but struggling), it failed to pull me in. Sadly, another thing I care little about are indeed father-son relationships. I know, it's a bit sexist, coming from the bias of being a daughter of an absent father. Again, it requires a bit more than the usual to float my personal boat. Might float yours though, if this is more your jam.
What I thought was really creative was titling each chapter with the amount of money that the MC has at his disposal. People who say money is not that important say that because they have enough of it. If you don't have it little things can become insurmountable which is something this novel highlights extremely well. Like simply looking presentable for a job interview is a difficult task if you live in your car which then could lead to you not getting the job! Spiral continues. (If you want a movie that broke me with a focus on the same subject, watch "Wendy and Lucy". Can't tell you more or I will start crying again). I just wish the writing was more compelling, or we didn't have the split structure and instead simply focused on the here and now and the worries at hand. Looking back at his tough past with his rough dad who underneath still loved him: it was a bit cliché to be honest.
I stepped out at page 90. This is not a bad novel but it didn't captivate me. It centers around important issues and I wish I would have liked it more. I totally could force myself and maybe even make it to a 3* by the end but what's the point? 2025 is hard, people, I need books that truly pull me in and take over my mind. Dnf for life!
I added this to my list because I was interested in reading more about homelessness and this is a fitting choice for this as we follow a father and his son who are living out of their car. To celebrate the kid's birthday and to prepare for an important job interview, daddy scrapes together his dollars and pennies and rents a cheap motel room for the night, but there's complications piling up. The set up is fine, clearly this would be a character driven story, which is totally is something I often like but I struggled with the structure. I realized about my taste this year within 2 dnfs that I am not a big fan of the very popular form of alternating chapters where we jump between current events and a timeline from the lead's past. For me you need to to something really special with it, have incredible writing or anything to soar above the basics of the back and forth flip. But this was going through the motions. We get very typical father-son relationship stuff (in the present a more happy one, in the past a more strained one, in both cases each dad is trying in their way but struggling), it failed to pull me in. Sadly, another thing I care little about are indeed father-son relationships. I know, it's a bit sexist, coming from the bias of being a daughter of an absent father. Again, it requires a bit more than the usual to float my personal boat. Might float yours though, if this is more your jam.
What I thought was really creative was titling each chapter with the amount of money that the MC has at his disposal. People who say money is not that important say that because they have enough of it. If you don't have it little things can become insurmountable which is something this novel highlights extremely well. Like simply looking presentable for a job interview is a difficult task if you live in your car which then could lead to you not getting the job! Spiral continues. (If you want a movie that broke me with a focus on the same subject, watch "Wendy and Lucy". Can't tell you more or I will start crying again). I just wish the writing was more compelling, or we didn't have the split structure and instead simply focused on the here and now and the worries at hand. Looking back at his tough past with his rough dad who underneath still loved him: it was a bit cliché to be honest.
I stepped out at page 90. This is not a bad novel but it didn't captivate me. It centers around important issues and I wish I would have liked it more. I totally could force myself and maybe even make it to a 3* by the end but what's the point? 2025 is hard, people, I need books that truly pull me in and take over my mind. Dnf for life!
February 17, 2025
« Henry era al settimo cielo all'idea di avere un impiego.
Questo succedeva prima del
fiasco con Michelle, nella vasca, quando Henry cavalcava ancora l'onda dell'eccitazione di chi è stato scarcerato di recente.
Anche se Junior, che all'epoca aveva solo sei anni, non si era ancora affezionato al suo pa', Henry lo prese tra le braccia e gli scoccò un bacio sulla guancia.
Con il bambino che cercava di liberarsi a furia di manate dal suo abbraccio, Henry disse a Michelle del nuovo lavoro.
A quel punto lui prese e la baciò, ed era così bello essere a casa che nemmeno i per sempre riuscivano a spaventarlo, non se per sempre significava vivere così.»
3 ⭐️ La storia di un uomo e di suo figlio costretti a vivere su un furgone, sfrattati da casa loro. Un uomo che ha già fatto cinque anni di carcere per colpa del suo migliore amico, che uscito di prigione ha cacciato di casa la madre di suo figlio. Un uomo che ha lottato e che è stato sleale ma che è condannato a vivere in uno status di continua povertà.
Questo succedeva prima del
fiasco con Michelle, nella vasca, quando Henry cavalcava ancora l'onda dell'eccitazione di chi è stato scarcerato di recente.
Anche se Junior, che all'epoca aveva solo sei anni, non si era ancora affezionato al suo pa', Henry lo prese tra le braccia e gli scoccò un bacio sulla guancia.
Con il bambino che cercava di liberarsi a furia di manate dal suo abbraccio, Henry disse a Michelle del nuovo lavoro.
A quel punto lui prese e la baciò, ed era così bello essere a casa che nemmeno i per sempre riuscivano a spaventarlo, non se per sempre significava vivere così.»
3 ⭐️ La storia di un uomo e di suo figlio costretti a vivere su un furgone, sfrattati da casa loro. Un uomo che ha già fatto cinque anni di carcere per colpa del suo migliore amico, che uscito di prigione ha cacciato di casa la madre di suo figlio. Un uomo che ha lottato e che è stato sleale ma che è condannato a vivere in uno status di continua povertà.
May 20, 2021
The author has an MFA, and this book sure read like it was written by someone with an MFA. Lots of discursive descriptions, cute little turns of phrase, and navel gazing so that my eyes were darting ahead to the point where he just got on with the plot already. I could just imagine him reading a draft aloud to his seminar class, self-satisfied while his classmates clapped him on the back and told him he was brilliant, what a great image he had describing that clerk at the motel.
I have been there because I too (sigh) possess an advanced degree in writing, I couldn’t help but read this as a writer. I could see what he was doing to maintain his dramatic tension and I had a strong inkling as to where he was going, because it was where I would have gone if it was my story. The problem with maintaining the dramatic tension at all costs is that it often opens up plotholes.
For instance, for me, the idea that a devoted father who had been living in his truck for half a year with his beloved son would not *immediately* notice and remedy his son’s very obvious oncoming illness made it hard to suspend my disbelief. I suspected it was appendicitis. Me – with no connection to the kid and no medical background. So I am reading thinking, when are you going to recognize this and do something about it? This is a good kid, a damn near perfectly behaved and on his birthday he is clearly behaving strangely and showing symptoms of serious illness yet his dad is oblivious.
Second, we have a man who works manual labor jobs and sleeps in a truck (must leave you achy) yet he doesn’t possess any ibuprofen? In fact, he seems ignorant on the subject of medication one takes when they are sick. Seems out of character for someone who has dabbled in drug use and alcoholism. He thinks that he wants his son to have the best medicine. It doesn’t matter, a fever reducer is a fever reducer. Also, I buy Walmart brand ibuprofen, a bottle of 100 is $2 the last time I bought it. My point being he wouldn’t have had to break the bank to have a bottle of ibuprofen in the truck.
Again, to maintain that dramatic tension, the nurse at the school wouldn’t do anything to help, the people in the clinic at Walmart wouldn’t do anything, and I found that highly suspect. So many people that are so cold to a child who is obviously limp, febrile, and suffering right in front of them.
Henry had just scammed a gal at the gas station out of a tank of gas yet he couldn’t manage to conjure up a hard luck story to get his kid seen at the clinic? He couldn’t have begged them to call an ambulance? He had to know, everyone gets treated in the ER.
Also before resorting to shoplifting, I wondered, why he didn’t try asking any older woman with a big purse if he could borrow some ibuprofen for his sick kid? I personally carry it on me all the time. Because you know headache and period cramps happen. I would give it away to anyone who asked me for some. I thought this might be a result of being an oblivious male writer. I mean, for future reference if you need a band-aid, a pain reliever, a tums, just ask a woman with a big purse.
Another thing that I noticed was that they never stopped at a food pantry, they never got a meal at a soup kitchen. They had the truck, they surely could have driven over there. Henry spent every day on the internet at the library. I know the public library in my medium sized town is a haven for the homeless, and there are signs up everywhere about where to go for resources.
Also Henry apparently had not a single friend, who could have watched the kid for an afternoon or given them a bit of aid. I’m pretty sure early into his incarceration Michelle mentions a sister that had been helping her. What happened to that sister?
Also the kid himself is pretty nice, did he have no friend’s houses at which he could have played at after school until his father was done with his job interview and could have picked him up? Friends who had a mother possessing a pair of eyes and would have known instantly the kid was sick and started treating him?
It's a shame this guy wasn’t in my writing program because I would have brought all this to his attention. One more very petty detail – at least twice the author mentions characters opening beer bottles with their lighters. I would have called him on that. Who cares? Delete that.
So maybe I am pedantic here needling the author about these details, but it’s those details that make a story believable as taking place in the real world. The ending itself I found to be a bit cattywampus. The present story ends, then in the last chapter we flash back and at the end of that chapter the book ends, leaving us in the past, so we are left wondering what actually happened in the present day. Again, the writer in me sees that the author did this because he didn’t want to spell it out and shatter the dramatic tension he’d built. But I was skeptical that Walmart would go after someone that hard for shoplifting a single package of pills, that the cop (who had met them earlier and seen how sick the child was) wouldn’t put two and two together and realize what was going on. It’s a story that hangs on characters being a bit oblivious and slightly dumb.
I have been there because I too (sigh) possess an advanced degree in writing, I couldn’t help but read this as a writer. I could see what he was doing to maintain his dramatic tension and I had a strong inkling as to where he was going, because it was where I would have gone if it was my story. The problem with maintaining the dramatic tension at all costs is that it often opens up plotholes.
For instance, for me, the idea that a devoted father who had been living in his truck for half a year with his beloved son would not *immediately* notice and remedy his son’s very obvious oncoming illness made it hard to suspend my disbelief. I suspected it was appendicitis. Me – with no connection to the kid and no medical background. So I am reading thinking, when are you going to recognize this and do something about it? This is a good kid, a damn near perfectly behaved and on his birthday he is clearly behaving strangely and showing symptoms of serious illness yet his dad is oblivious.
Second, we have a man who works manual labor jobs and sleeps in a truck (must leave you achy) yet he doesn’t possess any ibuprofen? In fact, he seems ignorant on the subject of medication one takes when they are sick. Seems out of character for someone who has dabbled in drug use and alcoholism. He thinks that he wants his son to have the best medicine. It doesn’t matter, a fever reducer is a fever reducer. Also, I buy Walmart brand ibuprofen, a bottle of 100 is $2 the last time I bought it. My point being he wouldn’t have had to break the bank to have a bottle of ibuprofen in the truck.
Again, to maintain that dramatic tension, the nurse at the school wouldn’t do anything to help, the people in the clinic at Walmart wouldn’t do anything, and I found that highly suspect. So many people that are so cold to a child who is obviously limp, febrile, and suffering right in front of them.
Henry had just scammed a gal at the gas station out of a tank of gas yet he couldn’t manage to conjure up a hard luck story to get his kid seen at the clinic? He couldn’t have begged them to call an ambulance? He had to know, everyone gets treated in the ER.
Also before resorting to shoplifting, I wondered, why he didn’t try asking any older woman with a big purse if he could borrow some ibuprofen for his sick kid? I personally carry it on me all the time. Because you know headache and period cramps happen. I would give it away to anyone who asked me for some. I thought this might be a result of being an oblivious male writer. I mean, for future reference if you need a band-aid, a pain reliever, a tums, just ask a woman with a big purse.
Another thing that I noticed was that they never stopped at a food pantry, they never got a meal at a soup kitchen. They had the truck, they surely could have driven over there. Henry spent every day on the internet at the library. I know the public library in my medium sized town is a haven for the homeless, and there are signs up everywhere about where to go for resources.
Also Henry apparently had not a single friend, who could have watched the kid for an afternoon or given them a bit of aid. I’m pretty sure early into his incarceration Michelle mentions a sister that had been helping her. What happened to that sister?
Also the kid himself is pretty nice, did he have no friend’s houses at which he could have played at after school until his father was done with his job interview and could have picked him up? Friends who had a mother possessing a pair of eyes and would have known instantly the kid was sick and started treating him?
It's a shame this guy wasn’t in my writing program because I would have brought all this to his attention. One more very petty detail – at least twice the author mentions characters opening beer bottles with their lighters. I would have called him on that. Who cares? Delete that.
So maybe I am pedantic here needling the author about these details, but it’s those details that make a story believable as taking place in the real world. The ending itself I found to be a bit cattywampus. The present story ends, then in the last chapter we flash back and at the end of that chapter the book ends, leaving us in the past, so we are left wondering what actually happened in the present day. Again, the writer in me sees that the author did this because he didn’t want to spell it out and shatter the dramatic tension he’d built. But I was skeptical that Walmart would go after someone that hard for shoplifting a single package of pills, that the cop (who had met them earlier and seen how sick the child was) wouldn’t put two and two together and realize what was going on. It’s a story that hangs on characters being a bit oblivious and slightly dumb.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2024
Devastating storyline where you’d only hoped for a happy ending and one moment of peace for Henry and Junior, father and son duo - but life has a wonderful way of throwing curve balls. Abundance is an incredibly realistic account of struggles, making ends meet and living on pennies. A great page turner 👏🏼
August 3, 2025
A book that hits harder the further you get in the story. A father lives with his son in a truck, somewhere in the America of shopping malls, gas stations and very cheap motels - which are all unaffordable for the two of them. But now they saved up to stay one night in a cheap motel, because it's Junior's birthday and Henry (the father) has a interview for an actual job the next day.
The story stretches from one evening to the next, but mixed in are episodes about mostly Henry's past. How his parents, both academics were brought down by the fatal illness of the mother, how the Filipino born father had to give up his career to care for his wife and his son and how Henry lived his life up until he ended up in the truck. It is a story about poverty commanding more and more parts of your life and how you gradually loose control over them - until you have very little left. This is further stressed by the titles of the chapter being the amount of money that Henry owns at that point in time. But Guanzon doesn't take the easy route: He shows the complex mixture of economical, social and cultural reasons for poverty and how they interact with individual behavior and decisions and even poor luck. Because even a systemic problem only exists in individual cases and looking at the cases shows the full tragedy that poverty is.
Henry is the focal point of the story. We follow him through his life, we get his perspective on all things that happened. And we sympathize with him - even as we realize that perhaps we shouldn't trust all of his judgements and memories. Henry is an unreliable narrator. But he's struggling. With his life, with poverty, with society - and with himself. Because he also knows that he made mistakes. And he wants to do things better than before. But the scope of his agency has already shrunk down very much. But he still believes that things can get better. That there is at least a tiny shred of truth in the American dream, even though it had betrayed him on almost every level. It is a story about his suffering and the suffering of the people around him (that is only partly his fault). About an American dream that is already dead for most of the people living in it.
It is a very bleak book, but one that is also profoundingly touching on many levels. It has been a long time since I have read about poverty on such an eleborate and touching level. I absolutely recommend it!
I also reviewed the book together with some friends for a radio show (in German). If you want to listen in, follow this link: https://rdl.de/beitrag/lit-my-fire-da...
The story stretches from one evening to the next, but mixed in are episodes about mostly Henry's past. How his parents, both academics were brought down by the fatal illness of the mother, how the Filipino born father had to give up his career to care for his wife and his son and how Henry lived his life up until he ended up in the truck. It is a story about poverty commanding more and more parts of your life and how you gradually loose control over them - until you have very little left. This is further stressed by the titles of the chapter being the amount of money that Henry owns at that point in time. But Guanzon doesn't take the easy route: He shows the complex mixture of economical, social and cultural reasons for poverty and how they interact with individual behavior and decisions and even poor luck. Because even a systemic problem only exists in individual cases and looking at the cases shows the full tragedy that poverty is.
Henry is the focal point of the story. We follow him through his life, we get his perspective on all things that happened. And we sympathize with him - even as we realize that perhaps we shouldn't trust all of his judgements and memories. Henry is an unreliable narrator. But he's struggling. With his life, with poverty, with society - and with himself. Because he also knows that he made mistakes. And he wants to do things better than before. But the scope of his agency has already shrunk down very much. But he still believes that things can get better. That there is at least a tiny shred of truth in the American dream, even though it had betrayed him on almost every level. It is a story about his suffering and the suffering of the people around him (that is only partly his fault). About an American dream that is already dead for most of the people living in it.
It is a very bleak book, but one that is also profoundingly touching on many levels. It has been a long time since I have read about poverty on such an eleborate and touching level. I absolutely recommend it!
I also reviewed the book together with some friends for a radio show (in German). If you want to listen in, follow this link: https://rdl.de/beitrag/lit-my-fire-da...
January 16, 2021
There have been a lot of books since 2016 that have dealt with poverty in America, and none of them sting quite like Jakob Guanzon's ABUNDANCE. Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean is transported to the United State's flyover country as a second- generation Filipino American named Henry who's one mission is to provide for his family. We, the reader, join him as he attempts to claw his way out of poverty by any means necessary in a novel punctuated, not by chapter names, but by the dollar amount in his bank account, because, after all, money makes the world go around. I guarantee your heart will not leave your throat for one second reading this gorgeous debut. It is a parable of poverty that taps into the pulse of this nation that will haunt you long after you set the book down. Although it's early in the year, I feel confident in saying ABUNDANCE is one of my favorites of 2021.
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