American Rust by Philipp Meyer audiobook

American Rust

By Philipp Meyer
Read by Tom Stechschulte

Recorded Books, Inc.

Unabridged

Format : Library CD (In Stock)
  • 2 Formats: CD
  • 2 Formats: Library CD

  • ISBN: 9781664497290

  • ISBN: 9781664605121

Runtime: 12.84 Hours
Category: Fiction/Literary
Audience: Adult
Language: English
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Summary

Summary

Winner of the 2009 Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Prize for First Fiction

A 2009 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize Finalist

One of the 2009 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction

A 2009 Washington Post Top 10 Book for Fiction

An 2009 Economist Best Book for Fiction

A 2009 Amazon Best Books of the Year

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, February 2009

Selected for the March 2009 Indie Next List

Author Philipp Meyer presents his astounding debut American Rust—a powerful, morally complex novel of two friends struggling to face an uncertain future in a crumbling western Pennsylvania steel town.

Twenty-year-old Isaac feels trapped by circumstance after his mother’s suicide and his genius older sister’s departure to Yale. His best and only friend Poe is a high school football hero who made some bad choices and is going nowhere fast. When Isaac resolves to leave town for good, Poe walks with him for a while down the tracks before a sudden downpour forces them to seek refuge in a vacant factory. In that dark place, a series of harrowing events is set in motion, beginning with an act of self-defense that will change their lives forever.

Favorably compared to Pete Dexter, Russell Banks, and John Steinbeck, Meyer vividly evokes the plight of one of America’s abandoned industrial heartlands—a majestic natural landscape pockmarked by the rusting remains of another time and inhabited by people whose futures have long since been sold out.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Affecting…Mr. Meyer is not only able to create a richly layered narrative with multiple perspectives, but he’s also able to climb inside his people’s heads and channel their thoughts and feelings…American Rust announces the arrival a gifted new writer—a writer who understands how place and personality and circumstances can converge to create the perfect storm of tragedy.” —New York Times
“This bleak but skillful debut is both affecting and timely…[Meyer’s] rigorously sculpted psychologies and assured sense of place are compelling.” —New Yorker
“Powerful…both plaintive and grand…Meyer grew up in Baltimore, where he dropped out of high school and pursued various careers as an emergency medical technician, a construction worker, and a derivatives trader for a Swiss bank. Along the way, he studied English at Cornell, and most recently he taught writing in Austin, Tex. The variety of those experiences—the intimate knowledge of hard physical labor, high finance, and great literature—informs every page of American Rust.” —Washington Post
“A terrifically impressive dissection of loyalty and honor. It’s a muted hymn in praise of the things we admire in others rather than the stuff we despise.” —Telegraph (London)
“The entropic nature of society in paralysis is stunningly portrayed in a novel rich in scope and ambition.” —Guardian (London)
“A paean to the end of empire…The story crackles with narrative tension…The picture is grim, but masterfully painted.” —Economist
“Meyer has a thrilling eye for failed dreams and writes uncommonly tense scenes of violence, and in the character of Grace creates a woeful heroine. Fans of Cormac McCarthy or Dennis Lehane will find in Meyer an author worth watching.” —Publishers Weekly
“Compelling…Tom Stechschulte’s gritty deliver suits the setting well, and he adjusts his tone with surprising agility. The novel shifts between the points of view of several characters, including two women, and Stechschulte’s sublte vocal changes reflect this technique effectively.” —AudioFile
“Meyer’s greatest strength as a novelist lies in his poignantly well-rounded characters, particularly Billy’s long-suffering mother, Grace, who repeatedly sacrifices her own prospects for those of her child. A Pandora’s box of debate for book clubs, this novel is an essential purchase.” —Library Journal

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Author

Author Bio: Philipp Meyer

Author Bio: Philipp Meyer

Philipp Meyer grew up in Baltimore, dropped out of high school, and got his GED when he was sixteen. After spending several years volunteering at a trauma center in downtown Baltimore, he attended Cornell University, where he studied English. Since graduating, he has worked as a derivatives trader at UBS, a construction worker, and an EMT, among other jobs. His writing has been published in McSweeney’s, Iowa Review, and Salon. From 2005 to 2008 Meyer was a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers in Austin, Texas. He splits his time between Texas and upstate New York.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : CD, Library CD
Category: Fiction/Literary
Runtime: 12.84
Audience: Adult
Language: English

1-800-621-0182

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