Crashing America

by Katia Noyes

When her best friend dies, Girl, the 17-year-old street-punk narrator of "Crashing America," leaves San Francisco for the heartland in search of a place where she can breathe again. Torn between her innate restlessness, an overwhelming longing for a sense of home, and a desperate fear of impending death, Girl seeks to link herself to almost anyone she crosses paths with: a bored housewife in Salt Lake City casting a net for illicit thrills, a born-again Christian punk rocker and his girlfriend, a teenage waitress in a small town with a horizon so endless Girl is terrified to leave her hotel room. On a farm in Nebraska with her old friend Randa, Randa's boyfriend Bill, and Bill's extended family, Girl finds something that seems awfully close to what she is seeking. But as the harvest progresses, what at first looked like salvation becomes something darker, and Girl hits the road in a stolen car headed for Memphis and one last chance for survival. Katia Noyes' brave debut is a story about seeking the still point in an ever-turning world. With hell-bent accuracy, Noyes spins a tale about the forgotten people at the heart of America as revealing as an impromptu detour off an interstate highway.

Katia Noyes left home at the age of 15. She has worked as a roofer, math tutor, factory worker, and go-go dancer. An arts reporter and former columnist for "SF Weekly "in San Francisco, her fiction has been published in "Home Stretch," "Sex Spoken Here," and "Paramour." She has twice been a finalist for the Astraea Lesbian Writers Fund grant. Noyes currently develops content for educational publishers and remains involved with organizations that serve runaway youths.

Genres: Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian Fiction

249 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evoking Jim Carroll, Jack Kerouac, and Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy, Katia Noyes has woven a sad, slangy, spellbinding tale of a young, wild, free woman's loss and seeking in Crashing America. Perhaps the most emblematic moment in the novel is a note that Girl leaves in the mailbox of a Louisville student who has skittishly responded to her plea for help:

"Always talk to strangers. Thanks."

Nicely done...

[Merredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this for my other book club. it is partly set in SF, once again, so that was exciting. i really loved it. its about a 17 year old girl who lives mostly on the streets, and she believes she'll die by 18, like her mom did. i liked the edge she lived on, i could easily relate to her, even though ive never been homeless. i just identified with her...

[Jacqueline Goldman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The main character has the pissy Holden Caulfield vibe. I appreciate the fact that there isn't much of a resolution, so you are kept wondering/guessing, but I find the point to be hard to find. A quick read, moments of intense sapphic love making, so if that's your thing, this is worth a few hours of your time.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would like to give this 3.5 stars - it is not big or important, but is really quite poignant. It may actually work better for someone older (who appreciates the poignancy) than for a young woman (who might well find it kind of obvious and unremarkable).

[Keelyn Healy · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the voice

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of like Valencia, but in reverse. A young street punk from San Fran travels across country in search of something and somewhere to belong.

[Pants · Rating 3 out of 5]

a somewhat fun yet sad adventure starting in sf which is always fun.. disliked the part involving the cat & truck.. other than that though, thumbs up.

[Meg Clayton]

novel