God's Pocket

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
 
In this striking debut from the author of the National Book Award winner Paris Trout, Pete Dexter chronicles a murder and its consequences in the fictional blue-collar Philadelphia neighborhood of God s Pocket.
 
Leon Hubbard makes other men nervous, talking to himself or anyone who will listen about the things he s cut with his straight razor. So when he crosses the wrong guy on a South Philly construction site and winds up with his head caved in, everyone is content to bury the bad news with the body. Everyone, that is, except Leon s mother and a local newspaper columnist hoping the story will resurrect his career. Only a mother could love a man like Leon. But only an outsider could expect to change anything in God s Pocket.
 
Praise for God s Pocket
 
Riveting . . . a first-class first novel . . . highlighted by superior writing, dialogue that rings true, and a highly believable background. Associated Press
 
God s Pocket sings, snarls, mugs, wisecracks, buys you a drink, steals your wallet, and takes you home to meet the folks. Richard Price
 
My own favorite among Mr. Dexter s work remains God s Pocket, which I continue to admire for its rich, well-nigh Dickensian mixture of verisimilitude, real-life absurdity, horror and romance. Robert Stone, The New York Times Book Review
 
Rollicking . . . a tough Philadelphia neighborhood comes to life in these pages. Playboy