Utah

by Toby Olson

David, a masseur, recalls his past after the death of an old friend and discovers the mysterious bonds that link human lives

282 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Toby Olson (born 1937 Chicago) is an American novelist.
Through high school and his four years in the Navy as a surgical technician, he lived in California, Arizona, and Texas.
He graduated from Occidental College and Long Island University.
Toby Olson has published eight novels, the most recent of which – The Blond Box – appeared from Fiction Collective-2 in 2003; and numerous books of poetry, including Human Nature (New Directions). A new novel, The Bitter Half, is forthcoming. The recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts, Olson’s novel Seaview received the PEN/Faulkner award for The Most Distinguished Work of American Fiction in 1983. Toby Olson lives in Philadelphia and in North Truro, on Cape Cod.

Reviews

[Myles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Toby Olson! He writes sentences so sharp they clear the flesh off our bones, but his novels are closer to wet dog food slung from the can-- they stick for a bit before slowly sliding down to the floor, a trail of thick brown sludge accompanying their descent.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A freaking slog. Both trippy and mundane. I constantly wondered if it was written entirely while high.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5