The Suburbs of Heaven
“At last New Hampshire has her
Faulkner. This powerful and disturbing
novel chronicles the hardscrabble lives of the Hutchins clan and their colorful
compelling neighbors. Here’s a tale of betrayal and loss, ignorance and
poverty. Merle Drown knows that what’s
important is the exploration of the human heart in conflict with itself.” John
Dufresne, author of Love Warps the Mind a
Little
“Drown knows the language of despair and exploits it with blistering acuity, ingenious turns of phrase and colloquial metaphors. [He] evokes with withering, sympathetic insight the sociological quirks of this New Hampshire clan of sad sacks.” Newsday “[The] characters are captivating in all their human frailty.” Library Journal “Antic, tender, and bittersweet…Narrated in the convincing voices of the five Hutchinses, the story veers from ribald to tragic…Throughout, Drown’s language shines, and even his most misguided characters are fully alive, resonant, and original, speaking with quiet, piercing wisdom.” Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A tense blend of hilarity and savagery…Lots of edgy, quick humor.” Kirkus Review “Brutal and hilarious… a mini-masterpieces of Southern Gothic, gone north.” Gallery “Drown clearly has affection for his cast, and he isn’t slumming: he knows what a motel housekeeper’s job entails, how a trailer’s plumbing system works.” The Boston Book Review “Drown’s earthy, graceful hilarious prose, explores love and marriage, friendship, the power of money and poverty, middle-aged regret, and other baggage of life. As funny as it is poignant…as fine a piece of literary as it is a provocative story.” Portsmouth (NH) Herald Sunday “Drown has created a dead-on community of characters where The Beans of Egypt, Maine meets Tobacco Road in a trailer park in Penacook Country, N.H. Hold on to your pickup; it’s quite a ride.’ Roanoke (VA) Times & World-News “Biting, ribald…engaging characters…What gives The Suburbs of Heaven much of its charm are the voices of its narrators, the five Hutchinses. Each of them is endowed with a similar blunt and idiosyncratic eloquence. Energetic plotting…Ironically, it is the comedy that gives [the characters] stature and even dignity, as they pick themselves up after each new mortification.” The New York Times “Exploring the violence-tangled love that runs in families, with a saving grace of down-east black humor, Merle Drown achieves compelling mastery in this riveting, eloquent novel.” Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winner Purchase The Suburbs of Heaven
Newly reissued digital and paperback versions are available at online retailers (Click to buy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Smashwords) and at local independent bookstores. Signed, original hardback and paperback copies are available through Gibson's Bookstore, Concord, NH, or can be purchased directly from the author by contacting him at [email protected]. |
Plowing Up a Snake
“tightly written narrative…” “the cold passions of Drown’s
northern town evoke the undercurrents of hatred in “The Lottery” and “Ethan
Frome.” “…a spare first novel that commands attentive reading and builds tension like a thriller.” Publishers Weekly
“…a solid, no-nonsense writer.” “a well-told story of corruption in a small town.” People “Set in New England dairy country, Drown’s first novel is a striking portrait of a small New Hampshire town’s reaction to the murder of one of its least liked citizens by some of its most respectable.” “Drown has mastered the technique of conveying a great amount of emotion and meaning a small number of words.” Best Sellers “This unnerving tale features an assortment of well-developed characters, several meaningful subplots, and a strong sense of time and place. Highly recommended.” Library Journal “…an exceptional novel—first or otherwise—and constitutes a stunning debut of a new and perhaps major talent.” Spadework, San Diego Union “Plowing Up A Snake is compelling reading, the kind of fiction you can stay with half the night.” “…Drown is so good with characters, weather and landscape that we can practically walk the streets of Enoch, New Hampshire.” San Francisco Chronicle Purchase Plowing Up a Snake
Newly reissued digital and paperback versions are available at online retailers (Click to buy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Smashwords) and at local independent bookstores. Signed, original hardback copies are available through Gibson's Bookstore, Concord, NH, or can be purchased directly from the author by contacting him at [email protected]. 
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