Hell on Wheels

by Daniel Evan Weiss

After a hit-and-run accident costs him his legs, Marty, a handsome and virile tennis pro, focuses on wheelchair racing. With his friend Lucy, who brings food, company, and sex, he almost feels like the old Marty again. Then his ex-lover Esther shows up.

Unknown Binding

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Daniel Evan Weiss is the author of four novels: The Roaches Have No King, Hell on Wheels, Honk if You Love Aphrodite, and The Swine’s Wedding. His most recent book is non-fiction, The Magic of Middle-aged Women: Romance, Sex, Deviance--Freedom.

Reviews

[Nick Colen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit mystery a little bit thriller a whole lot of entertainment. Daniel Evan Weiss is one of my all time favorite authors. The NY times called him "the evil kanievel of novelist" his stories are gritty to the point of being filthy but they also feature more heart and honesty than almost any of his more famous contemporaries.

[Martina Hava · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a tennis star revelling in his glamorous life full of joy; joy that includes many women. Two of them he sees on a steady basis and many more besides these two. The main character of the book enjoys the same life style as many other famous people.

All of a sudden…. Kaboom….. and all is over in the blink of an eye . . . in a mere second the life of this rich and famous tennis player is trashed beyond recognition and will never be the same . . . accident, injury, life as a cripple

Nobody knows him any more, nobody wants him any more. From all of those who were waiting at his doorstep when he was famous, just one woman still wants him. The man who was once running behind the net for a living, full of life and allure, now doomed to life in a wheelchair. Has his life changed? Where is the pretentious love, once overflowing?

Daniel Evan Weiss, again, at his best: fame, tragedy, a fall from grace, denial, kinkiness, and, finally, everlasting love. He brilliantly describes life without the fame, life in the wheelchair for a once famous athlete. This is the sad remnant of his previously glamorous life. All described in the vocabulary of a genius.

This book reminds me of the life story of a celebrity I once knew . . . two women, fame, arrogance, inability or unwillingness to make an emotional commitment, to truly love, a yellow rose with large significance in his life, almost the same significance as in the story of the crippled athlete.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grade: C+. A very different and interesting book. The beginning didn't grab me, and after reading about a quarter of the book I set it down. There were also a lot of short sentences. Perhaps the author was using this as a technique to portray Marty's voice, but it took me from the story. I picked the book up months later and became engaged by the characters that wouldn't be pinned down. Did Marty's ex-girlfriend Esther intentionally run him down, resulting in his double amputation? Or was it Lucy, his current girlfriend? Or maybe Esther's husband? The book is full of duplicitous characters. Esther is particularly cold. After his accident, she never came to see him, never communicated with him. Just quickly got married. Discovering the truth is a rocky road, and sometimes Marty loses his way. All the twists and turns made for an engaging ending, which satisfied me. But I think Marty can do a lot better than the gal he ended up with.

[Y C · Rating 5 out of 5]

See pass the inconvenience of wheelchair life, the Inner Light, whether or not understood by the owner himself, is the source of power, the reason to survive, and the driving force to find forgiveness and happiness in life. The story may be fictional, the soul is not. This is a story of Light, shining through the darkness of reality all around.

Weiss' books are always philosophical, psychological and intensely sexual – more than vanilla. Enjoy!


Watch out for Daniel Evan Weiss' new book that's coming out in April 2013 – "The Magic of Middle-Aged Women". Blog on author site; and on Facebook.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blunt, sexy, noiry, gritty and funny, this account of a wheelchair-using former athlete is far from 'inspiration porn.' As a former East Village resident, I empathized with his living conditions (the cockroaches!) while understanding his range of emotions; a unique voice in the literary world.