Trombone

by Craig Nova

Craig Nova's classic novel Trombone is a powerful and poignant portrait of the complexities between an arsonist father and his good son. Dean Gollancz is an easygoing man of modest means. He longs for the Big Time, and when his job at the Print Shop doesn't pay the bills, he commits arson for a Chinese gangster in Los Angeles. His son Ray feels deep love and loyalty for his father, but when he wins an Ivy League scholarship, Ray must decide how much of his own life to sacrifice for Dean's respect. The destructive nature of their relationship is brought to the fore when Iris, a classmate of Ray's, becomes his father's lover. Longing for Iris and knowing he can never be like Dean, Ray must decide whether he even wants to be, and whether it is right to be that way at all. "[Nova's novels] deserve to be ranked among the best American fiction of the past two decades." -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post "Trombone is a novel of crime, passion, adventure ... by one of our most acclaimed and prolific fiction writers." -- Howard Frank Mosher

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked TROMBONE up at a used book store in Santa Fe. It looked interesting and back had endorsements by some authors I like. Have to say, though, reading this book was like listening to a monotone drone that had words. The story was mildly interesting but I didn't detect and inflection or a change in tone in the 247 pages of it. Maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough.

[Broken Wires · Rating 3 out of 5]

"That's all right ....you don't have to say anything .I keep forgetting that if I ask no questions I won't hear any lies"



"I love you "he said
" why?" She said
" Because you're outside all the rules"

[zunggg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK enough father-son tale, enlivened by a third-act trip to Vegas and an interpolated story about a man who pins his hopes on breeding greyhounds. Not as good as the other two Novae I’ve read.

[Valissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You can't see beauty, Raymond, you really can't, until you've got some regrets."

[Jason Patenaude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't understand why Craig Nova isn't better known. Funny, terrific author, and this is one of his best.

[Susan Katz]

Good story, but the level of description is just at the edge of my tolerance. Beautifully written, but doesn't always propel the story.