November 2012 Book of the Month and eBook of the Month.
This compelling and fascinating novel is frankly difficult to explain, sometimes hard to read, but incredibly rewarding. It follows around 30 years of the extraordinary, dysfunctional, Fremont family (mother, father and 13 children - 12 being girls!) and their harsh, curious existence in a dusty, nameless, Midwest state. This is the second book from Elizabeth Reeder her first, Ramshackle, was shortlisted for the Anobii First Book Award - we won't be surprised if this makes award shortlists either.
When Rachel Roanoke sees Hal Fremont across a diner counter, she claims him as her own. Their first date takes place in the registry office and then they set out for the small, suspicious town Hal calls home. There, in the crumbling hallway of that mock-antebellum house, Rachel and Hal consummate their marriage and start to build their rambunctious brood. Against their parents' ill-starred fairy tale romance, the Fremont children fight for their territory within the shifting, bitter bonds of family. In this tale of prejudice, identity and desire, Fremont becomes a map of survival.
'Compelling, a moving and darkly witty family saga unfolding against a mythic landscape. It's gorgeous, sweeping Americana packed with quirky and memorable characters striving to pursue their hopes and loves and dreams amid intriguing twists and turns.' ZOE STRACHAN, author of Ever Fallen in Love and Spin Cycle
Author
About Elizabeth Reeder
Originally from Chicago, Elizabeth Reeder has lived in Glasgow for over fifteen years. She writes fiction, essays and for radio and teaches on the prestigious MLitt Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. Her first novel, Ramshackle – which Alan Warner described as ‘. . . knowing, wry and affectionate’ – was published by Freight Books in April 2012. Her essays and short stories have been published in Chapman, PN Review, Kenyon Review, and Gutter Magazine.
