The Nakeds

by Lisa Glatt

A hit-and-run accident sends the lives of both driver and victim into unforeseen trajectories in a family drama set against the backdrop of the sexual revolution and 1970s California.On the morning that Nina and Asher Teller's marriage falls apart in their Southern Californian kitchen, their young daughter, Hannah, is the victim of a hit-and-run accident that will leave her leg in a cast for much of the next decade. Nina's next husband introduces her to nudism and soon suggests they plunge further into the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Meanwhile, the remorseful driver, Martin, tries to bury his dark secret under the flashing lights and ringing bells of Las Vegas. The Nakeds is an absorbing, darkly comical story of love and desire, of forgiveness and the unforgivable, and the truths we sometimes hide underneath our very own skin.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult, Book Club, Adult Fiction

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Lisa Glatt is the author of the novels The Nakeds and A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That, as well as the short story collection The Apple's Bruise. Her poetry collections include Shelter and Monsters & Other Lovers. Lisa's work has appeared in such magazines as Zoetrope, Mississippi Review, Columbia, Indiana Review, Pearl, and The Sun. She was recently awarded a fellowship to the Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy. Lisa currently teaches at California State University, Long Beach and private workshops. Glatt is married to writer David Hernandez.

Reviews

[skillwithaquill · Rating 1 out of 5]

What started as an interesting and thought-provoking character study ends with a whimper rather than a bang. I really enjoyed the book until the final quarter of the story. I truly disliked the subplot with Mustafa.
It felt tacked on and the way his story ends is so forced. I also stopped caring about Nina and Azeem's nudism and their relationship about halfway through. I felt that many plots and ideas weren't developed enough. The story seemed to just stop rather than reach a resolution. If this had been only about Hannah and Martin, I would have enjoyed the story much more.

[Renae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, quick read. Lighter littry-fiction about a family, focused on the aftermath of a hit-and-run car accident as well as nudism and the sexual revolution. Not deep, but by the end I enjoyed it more than I'd anticipated.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing, the author's sensibility, the sense of time (the 70s) and place, and the references to Long Beach since she's a local author. (She's done readings at my kids' school of her children's book Abigail Iris!) But when I finished it I was left with a "That's it?" After the big event at the beginning of a drunk Martin hitting Hannah with his car, leaving her in casts for years, we follow the characters' lives through Hannah's, her mother Nina's, and Martin's perspectives. It becomes unclear whose story the book is telling. Martin is never a "naked" in the literal sense (Nina and her second husband visit a nudist colony on weekends) and I'm struggling to find a figurative sense where the title fits him or some of the other characters. There's some nice symbolism related to the nudist colony and Hannah's leg being in a cast and for the most part I enjoyed her story as well as Nina's, although parts of it were annoying both because of her choices and convoluted avenues the story takes. There's some decent treatment of post-partum depression seen in Hannah's father and stepmother's story but it was also left unsatisfying. Martin's chapters were often rather boring. I waited the whole book for his story to again intertwine with Hannah's, but when it's finally about to happen the book ends. I guess having this left to our imagination is a nice device but I wasn't left satisfied. Overall, enjoyable vacation read and happy to support a local author, but I didn't love it. As always, I look forward to my book club's thoughts.

[Ron Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The naked and the nude,” Robert Graves observed, “stand as wide apart as love from lies.”

That slippery distinction could be the epigraph for Lisa Glatt’s sly new book, “The Nakeds.” Glatt, a poet whose most recent novel was “A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That,” knows just how to peel away the pretensions of modern life. In the sunlight of her prose, everybody looks pink and vulnerable.

As “The Nakeds” begins in 1970, all kinds of things are shattering: a NASA satellite, a toxic marriage, a drinking glass, the bones of a little girl. Asher and Nina Teller are having another vicious argument when their daughter, Hannah, decides she’s had enough and walks to school by herself. Trying to stay off a neighbor’s lawn, Hannah veers into the street just as a young drunk careens by. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a review I wrote for the Miami Herald: "Glatt is also the author of two collections of poetry, and her sense of timing might be attributed to this skill set, which is not colored by lyrical descriptions but by precise and cinematic details that give The Nakeds its authentic feel. Time either hobbles along or flashes by with unnatural speed, just as it does in real life, and her characters feel like people we know and who, through the mind-reading powers of storytelling, we are now beginning to understand."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainm...

[Ichi Kudo · Rating 4 out of 5]

| Selalu suka dengan karakter anak (remaja) "orang luar" sana. Karena teringat seorang penulis yang menurutku najong pernah menyatakan bahwa pembaca enggak mencari kenyataan pada buku fiksi, maka kemungkinan besar karakter, dialog, maupun tindakan-tindakan tokoh Hannah dalam novel ini enggak merepresentasikan anak-anak sesungguhnya dalam kenyataan. Namun, alangkah penuh warna jika demikian halnya--dari sudut pandang pembaca yang melewati masa kecilnya dengan kebiasaan bermonolog.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one starts a little slow, but it gets interesting with its flawed characters and strange twists and turns of life. There are lots of topics addressed, and even the characters who act in questionable ways have some redeeming qualities. It's not exactly a page-turner, but it held my interest.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of brokenness that follows the lives of Hannah, a small girl seriously injured in a hit-and-run, and Martin, the man who hit her. Martin I thought was especially interesting, as society tends to demonize someone like him.

[D.H. Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but I think it could have been better. It was too short for a story that spanned a decade. Most of the book is told from up above, giving us an overview but not taking us down into the characters' lives often enough. When it did take us down, like Christy's post-pardum depression scene, for instance, it was very good. In those scenes, I felt like the author was showing rather than just telling what was going on, unlike in the majority of the novel. The biggest missing scene for me was Nina's first visit to the nudist resort. There were quite a few chapters from her point of view, and we were told that she so looked forward to her visits to the nudist resort that it was an important part of her life. It seems to me that a detailed scene of her first visit, her initial thoughts and reactions, and why she loved it so much, would have enhanced the reading experience. Instead, the first time we readers are shown the resort rather than just told about it, is Hannah's first visit, and we only feel her awkwardness and discomfort.

That being said, I did enjoy reading The Nakeds. I felt for the characters, especially Martin's self-loathing, Nina's frustrations, and Hannah's struggles. The ending felt real, like the characters were driving the action rather than being manipulated by an author. I also liked that we are not told exactly what Martin does when he recognizes Hannah. Does he talk to her? Does he apologize? Does he not say anything? Does he, in his silence, comp their meal, leaving them all to wonder why? I can imagine what he did do, and I like my own take on it rather than being told exactly what did happen.

[Renee Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of those discounted Book Bub offerings through Barnes and Noble's Nook. Still unsure what prompted me to try it, but it did keep me going 'til the end. I guess the interesting point was the overall theme of guilt. A young drunk with no personal direction or ambition hits a little girl with his car, and makes the conscious decision to drive away, leading to guilt being his central mantra for years. Her parents are on the verge of separation, so they're dealing with relationship guilt and neglectful parenting guilt. Much of the story seems implausible, because compared to people you know it seems extreme for people in the same family to become nudists or elect a major religious conversion. Also, who's ever heard of a Jewish family whose only granddaughter is HBC & in ICU, and they send a toy but don't visit? I found it hard to swallow that Hannah's mom didn't return to her parents for support, better medical care, and comfort. But it's ok for a beach read or a reason to avoid housework. :)

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found The Nakeds to be an unfocused novel. It is the story of Hannah, a young girl injured after being hit by a car. It's the story of the young man who hit her, guilt ridden and emotionally stunted. It's the story of Hannah's divorced parents; her dad, recently converted to Christianity to remarry but still peppering his speech with Yiddishims, and her mom, who marries a younger Arab man who convinces her to visit nudists camps and wants her to agree to an open marriage. There are too many ideas, and none of them were satisfactorily explored. And while I dont need everything neatly tied up, the author set up a beautiful scene at the end to tie these disparate stories together and instead chose to end the novel. Glad to be done with it.

[Roslynne Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a lovely little book. I hope some of you read it so that we can discuss.

[Suzanne Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book kept me engaged but didn't really develop characters.

[comfort · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of broken people and especially liked Cassandra Campbell's narration.
Every character in this book is broken in some form or other.
The first we see is is Hannah a 6 y.o. girl who after hearing her Jewish parents (this is relevant later in the story) decides to walk to school and is hit by a car-the driver leaving the scene without even getting out of the car.
There is Mathew, the driver who spends the rest of his life agonising over what he has done. Unable to hold down a decent job or form lasting relationships. He immediately gives up drinking and driving and eventually moves to another state.
Hannah's parents and their subsequent spouses all have issues and eventually their lives change again.
Some of Mathew's friends- the few he lets in are either war-damaged or alcoholics.
Hannah's friends don't seem to care very much about her or their own lives.

I did find this story, initially terribly sad, with Hannah spending almost 10 years of her life in different kinds of casts to help straighten her foot. I always get sad when I read about children suffering.

The Nakeds of the title refers to the nudist colony Hannah's Mum and step-father belong to. It does not hold a very dominant part of the story even though it is the title. We glimpse the life in a nudist colony of the 1960's/7o's, very liberal.

All in all a very satisfying story

[Sharon Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick read. The story of a Hannah, young girl, involved in a tragic accident. How the life of Martin was changed forever. And then there’s the broken relationship of Hannah’s parents and her parents new spouses. The nudist colony Hannah’s mother and stepdad visited on the weekends. It felt like a lot of moving parts, but somehow tied together nicely. I was left a bit disappointed with the ending. With the build up throughout the story I expected a little more of an ending.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This is a concept story. he main character, Hannah is a child who is hit by a car and whose life is dramatically changed by it. The car crash sets the story in motion. She is an engaging character, smart, observant and more mature than her years would indicate. Her parents are the opposite. I did not care for them or the other ancillary characters. The writing is lively and it is easy reading but a plot point involving her mother is ridiculous.

[P · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. What a snooze-fest. I'm proud of myself to have the persistence and discipline to push through this drudgery, but goodness dear me, the last page barely introduced the meeting to which I looked forward from the very beginning???
I would not ever recommend this book to anyone - nothing worthy of note whatsoever. Pity I had the terrible idea to pick it up and convince myself to read it.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this books and read it very quickly. It is about a hit and run accident and follows the victim and the drunk driver throughout the formative years of their lives. Although there is a part of the book where a nudist community is featured that is not really the central plot of the book. The characters were flawed but compelling and I felt connected to the story. 3.5 stars

[CYNTHIA KLINGER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out to b a good book

This book starts out slow, but I stuck with it. You may be surprised with the ending.
That's why I gave it 4 stars

[Vicki James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story line. Well written.

[Mei Melania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ritmenya agak lambat. Tapi perubahan dan pendewasaan karakternya terceritakan dengan baik.

[Jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

y'all ever think about the evergreen conundrum of having a body?

[Amber Greer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever did. Easy read, but dull.

[Allyrebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like it was trying to build to somewhere, and then never got there. I tend to like character driven books, but this one fell flat (2.5).

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, a good weaving of stories without a typical plot/resolution.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glatt manages to effectively navigate the changing perspectives of these characters, uniting them all with a delicate tone that conveys dysfunction and a raw vulnerability, yet maintains ample lightheartedness. With all its darkness of betrayal, alcoholism, and general selfishness the novel is suffused with humor. There is a constant sense of hope, and moments of love shine through even amid the human missteps.

The title refers to Azeem’s repeated mistake of confusing the English word ‘nudists’ with ‘nakeds’. Nude and naked may be synonyms, but the words are each shaded with unique undertones, degrees of vulnerability. And this is ultimately what Glatt’s novel comes down to in its exploration of the characters: a conflict between proudly exposing or recognizing things honestly for what they are, good or bad, and cloaking vulnerabilities behind layers of deception, avoidance, or denial. In many cases the characters voice a commitment to complete openness, being naked both physically and emotionally before the others who they love. But their actions end up showing the lies behind the words, the aspirations. Yet one gets the sense that these characters are not maliciously lying to the people in their lives. Rather, first and foremost, they are lying to, hiding from, themselves.

Hannah is the sole exception to this behavior, and for that reason she comes across as the most fascinating perspective, the most endearing character. Trapped in the confinement of her cast, Hannah cannot ever be physically naked, even if she so desired. Yet, she is the one most capable of facing her raw emotions, the naked truth of her predicament in life. She has a bright and investigative mind, but most powerful of all she has exceptional self-realization and self-acceptance. She realizes the limits that her disability place both on herself and her friends when they go to hang out like normal teenagers. But she doesn’t dwell on this; she pursues a normal life and demonstrates immense capability in matters physical and emotional. Unlike her parents, she is able to cope with the turmoils of their families without falling to some cliché of ‘blaming’ herself’, or subverting relationship with them to find solace elsewhere.

The Nakeds is indeed an “absorbing” (as described in its blurb) story because of its fascinating characters and the balance of its tone. Glatt’s use of changing perspectives falters some in the latter half of the novel as development turns primarily towards Hannah-Nina-Azeem while Asher in particular is mostly dropped. Nonetheless it is an effective novel that would fit well as an engaging summer read or as a conversation-stimulating book-club selection. For those interested, The Nakeds was also featured in a recent episode of Book Riots’ new All the Books! podcast, and is worth a listen.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review that this is excerpted from and originally appeared at Reading1000Lives.com

[Ti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Short of It:

Super flawed characters, an engaging story and a nudist camp. This will probably be one of my faves for the year.

The Rest of It:

From Indiebound:

"Seven-year-old Hannah Teller is on her way to school when she’s hit by a car. Martin Kettle—just out of high school, still drunk from the night before—is the driver who injures Hannah and leaves her by the side of the road. Glatt follows the intertwined lives of these two characters as they deal with the accident’s aftermath."

Martin’s guilt over the accident leads him to Hannah’s bedside at the hospital. There, he leaves her secret presents, inquires about her progress and realizes that he’s changed her life forever but decides not to come forward. Instead, he moves far away and attempts to get his life in order, never really getting past the actions of that fateful day.

Hannah’s family is supportive, but her mother and father are on the brink of divorce and the added burden of caring for a crippled child just adds to their stress. Endlessly hopeful, her parents do their best for Hannah, but ultimately their marriage ends leaving Hannah to deal with visitations, new significant others and the nudist lifestyle that her step-father encourages.

Yes folks, nudist lifestyle. You read that right. This was such an interesting addition to the story and although it did make for some awkward moments, I couldn’t help but think that in some way, it mirrored the awkwardness and disappointment Hannah had over her own body. Realizing that she may never walk again, Hannah’s perception of what others think of her plays a huge role in who she is and the idea of being naked, in front of all those people is too much for her.

The story spans many years and alternates between different characters but it all comes together beautifully. It was meaningful, sometimes funny, other times very deep. All of these characters have their quirks and for some, deep running faults, but you can relate to all of them which is not something that happens too often.

I haven’t seen many reviews of The Nakeds which surprises me because it’s really quite good. I hope you pick it up.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

[Leslie-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah Teller from The Nakeds at the age seven gets hit on her way to school by a drunk driver. She lies there to die till someone calls. They go through her years healing after the accident. But not only her life but the drivers life and what he goes through. Him holding his secret in about the accident. This little not only has lifelong problems but also having problems at home with her father becoming a new person with a new family. She goes through a lot at the age seven. A quick note about the book, it has no filter whatsoever.
In my opinion is was a great book the only thing some people may not like is the fact that it has no filter whatsoever. So for people that would get offended i would not advise it. Lisa did do the characters and their personalities very well. Also how she switched back and forth between the main two characters was very nice to get to them. The book doesn't have many things I didn't like about it. In general it was a pretty good book. I liked what happened. Nothing really needed to be changed or done differently. What most readers would think is ‘Did a man write this?’ Because the no filter and what she says is things like a man thing. One of the major messages is when you did something wrong guilt will hit you but it's what you do with that guilt that's makes it right.
I overall rate this book with a 10. I enjoyed reading it. Never wanted to put it down. The chapters were short so it felt I was reading a lot and didn't feel like it was dragging. I would recommend this book to older teenagers and ones who won't get offended by bad language and the author being straight up.

[William Koon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glatt has written a sparkly novel. She recreates the world of the ‘seventies and ‘eighties with élan. She balances her characters and interweaving plots like a champion. You keep waiting for something to fall off: The Jew who converts to Christianity and marries his mistress; the ex-wife who joins a nudist camp with her Middle Eastern lover and later husband. Glatt ties it together with the story of Hannah who was the victim of a hit and run driver and her victimizer. Along the way there is pot among teens, open marriage, a horny epileptic teen Arab, Ed Lange’s Elysium in Topanga Canyon.

Although she keeps everything corralled, what I like most about Glatt is how she has her characters use language. Azeem, the husband, calls nudists “the nakeds.” The daughter Hannah considers words such as “stepfather.” She is one of the most appealing teen characters I have come across in a long time with her life in a cast. (God knows life is difficult enough without going through life changing casts.)

The Nakeds is thoughtful, intelligent, moving, and highly entertaining. Glatt seems to be enjoying writing each chapter and breathless until she moves on to the next. Compared to books like Vann’s Aquarium or Ortiz’ Excavation, this is high art indeed. The novel is good enough to talk about and fun enough to pass along to someone you like who admires solid fiction.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The suburbs. The 70’s. A hit and run accident leaves 7-year old Hannah in a toe-to-groin cast, and propels Marty, the teen-aged driver, into a guilt-fueled morass. Over the next 8 years Hannah’s leg remains on lock-down while everyone moves forward around her. Her parents get divorced, her father remarries and has a baby, and her mother remarries and joins a nudist camp. Meanwhile, Marty leaves his car and his family behind and tries to hide his guilt and shame in Vegas, where he waits tables and enters into shallow relationships until his father dies and he’s summoned home. The author has assembled an interesting cast of characters with an interesting set of predicaments, and I was wholeheartedly caught up in the drama and introspection. You can’t help but feel compassion for Hannah who is constantly surrounded by adults-behaving-badly, but it was her step-father Azeem who stole the show for me – from his broken English (“We are nakeds”), to his need to constantly push the sexual envelope, to his epileptic hash-smoking brother, Mustafa. The Nakeds (love the title!), was a good, quick, and enjoyable read.