Olympus, Texas
A Novel
(Sprache: Englisch)
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! A bighearted novel with technicolor characters, plenty of Texas swagger, and a powder keg of a plot in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare, and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward...
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A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! A bighearted novel with technicolor characters, plenty of Texas swagger, and a powder keg of a plot in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare, and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythology.For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe: "The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut" (Oprah Daily).
The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.
An expansive tour de force, Olympus, Texas cleverly weaves elements of classical mythology into a thoroughly modern family saga, rich in drama and psychological complexity. After all, at some point, don't we all wonder: What good is this destructive force we call love?
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oneDrive down in the dark, in the fog--thick white against the headlights and the windshield. The world without form and without shape. Follow the sound of gravel grinding under tires as it slips and shifts. Smooth and quiet means you re headed into the ditch. Cross over metal pipes, the thump-thump-thump of the cattle guard. Downhill, into the bottomland, the gritty crunch now covered by the bawling of frogs and cicadas. Stop the car. Wait. The sun will rise and burn the land into relief.
When morning comes, the view is a tangle of trees and underbrush--bur oak and cedar elm, pecan and supplejack, poison oak and mustang grape vines. Not a hiking forest but scratchy impenetrability, like a ten-acre fence gapped only by this dirt road. Cow pastures lie somewhere near, in this border between oak savannahs and Gulf prairies, but here is just a small clearing with a large white house guarded by a sextet of cottonwoods. Wind lifts the cotton from the trees, and it snows down on the house: two stories with four large columns careening up the front, broken in the middle by a spindle railing and balcony. Windows peep from the gabled roof. Bermuda grass covers the lawn, interrupted by square flowerbeds lined out with railroad ties--the smell of roses and creosote.
The house is bounded by the woods on one side and the Brazos River, slow moving and brown, on the other. The fluff from a cottonwood lands, rides a mud-saturated current, and then gets sucked under. The rise and fall of the water level has left the clay banks patched with only fast-growing weeds. The river--not Mississippi-wide, but too wide to throw a stone across--generates a steady white noise.
And inside the house? Peter and June in their bed, old and brass, columned like their home. The brass rises like prison bars from the head and the foot of the frame. The bed sat forgotten in his parents barn for decades until Peter found it. He was eleven months into dating June, and
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he jokingly said to her the bed, with its feeling of enclosure, spoke to him of marriage. He dragged it to his own place, polished and polished until he had a heap of rags stained with the green that had eaten the brass. Knowing he d never want to undertake that task again, he shellacked the whole damn thing to keep it from tarnishing. It worked for a long time, past the births of all three of their children. But as the years passed, the tarnish crept back, and now it is the tarnish being protected by the coating. June still likes it. Or she likes Peter s frustration whenever he stares at it too long.
June and Peter in a bed too small for him. Stretched out, he must either cram an inch of his head between the bars of the headboard, point his toes through the bars at the foot of the bed, or bend his knees. Peter s a big man, nearly six and a half feet. Wide, too. June has never seen a man so wide and yet not fat. When they were newly married, she straddled him and lay her palm at the edge of one nipple, then her other palm, crossing over and over again. Five hands between, an expanse of a man. Even now that his belly grows soft and extends farther out and down--another two pounds every year--nothing can dwarf that chest.
Or perhaps this should be a study in contrasts, the before and after. Flat stomach to non-flat. His hair, always curly, turned from fat rings of black to ones of gray. The beard fading to white, only black above the lip. Green eyes, sharp and hard as always. Really, he has not changed so much. A partial softening, a partial lightening. June also hasn t changed much, at least if viewed while sleeping. Her blond hair still the same shade at fifty-five as it was at twenty. And when relaxed in sleep, the lines are less visible, no skin sags. Upright and awake, things tighten and crinkle, others droop--thanks to the three children she carried, the years of being outside with toddlers, with cattle, with her own dissat
June and Peter in a bed too small for him. Stretched out, he must either cram an inch of his head between the bars of the headboard, point his toes through the bars at the foot of the bed, or bend his knees. Peter s a big man, nearly six and a half feet. Wide, too. June has never seen a man so wide and yet not fat. When they were newly married, she straddled him and lay her palm at the edge of one nipple, then her other palm, crossing over and over again. Five hands between, an expanse of a man. Even now that his belly grows soft and extends farther out and down--another two pounds every year--nothing can dwarf that chest.
Or perhaps this should be a study in contrasts, the before and after. Flat stomach to non-flat. His hair, always curly, turned from fat rings of black to ones of gray. The beard fading to white, only black above the lip. Green eyes, sharp and hard as always. Really, he has not changed so much. A partial softening, a partial lightening. June also hasn t changed much, at least if viewed while sleeping. Her blond hair still the same shade at fifty-five as it was at twenty. And when relaxed in sleep, the lines are less visible, no skin sags. Upright and awake, things tighten and crinkle, others droop--thanks to the three children she carried, the years of being outside with toddlers, with cattle, with her own dissat
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Autoren-Porträt von Stacey Swann
STACEY SWANN holds an M.F.A. from Texas State University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her fiction has appeared in Epoch, Memorious, Versal, and other journals, and she is a contributing editor of American Short Fiction. She is a native Texan.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Stacey Swann
- 2021, Internationale Ausgabe, 336 Seiten, Maße: 15,8 x 23,3 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: Doubleday
- ISBN-10: 0385547455
- ISBN-13: 9780385547451
- Erscheinungsdatum: 31.05.2021
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
Center for Fiction s First Novel Prize Nominee"There is a surplus of buried hurt and unspoken disappointments within the Briscoe family. It may be difficult for these characters to realize their flaws and tangled desires, but it sure is pleasurable to read about them...I experienced the characters grief and regret as if they were my own."
New York Times Book Review
"The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut that reimagines Greek myths in a backwater east Texas town. The abrupt arrival of a ne er-do-well son disrupts the fragile balance amid a family plagued by erotic trysts, broken promises, and social envy. Readers will thrill to Swann s classical allusion."
Oprah Daily
"The antics of the gods on Mount Olympus would rival the plot of the most salacious soap opera. Swann moves the action to East Texas and the back-stabbing members of the Briscoe family, combining Dallas -style narrative juice with literary panache and a classical pedigree."
Los Angeles Times
A gorgeous debut that conjures one small town and the big emotions of its wealthiest family, the Briscoes, whose saga plays out over six days of pain, rage, and love.
People Magazine
"A unique way to disrupt the conventional family saga...When it comes to family-fiction tropes, Swann has found a way to be persistently, often admirably irreverent.
USA Today
"An action-filled, devastating tale of homecoming."
Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Olympus, Texas is the most wildly entertaining novel I ve read in a long time, and Stacey Swann is a writer to watch.
Richard Russo, author of Chances Are . . .
"Olympus, Texas is sheer delight: hilarious, heartbreaking, true. I loved this novel."
Amanda Eyre Ward, author of The Jetsetters
"The endearing characters of Olympus, Texas gallop through a plot luscious with secrets and scandals. Escape to Olympus for the rollicking fun. Stay for
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the heartbreakingly lyrical writing and tender message about the enduring gift that is family love."
Sarah Bird, best-selling author of Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen
"An uncanny twin-myth of modern Texas and ancient Greece that feels familiar and strange, loving and painful like family itself. Olympus, Texas is an achievement of sustained brilliance, and an audacious opening to Swann s fated journey into the canon of greats."
Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek
"Here is a lightning field of a novel: enthralling, vast, dark, bright, beautiful and dangerous. I was hypnotized by it. Stacey Swann is an unforgettable force, and Olympus, Texas will carry you and embrace you with all its heart, strength, and hope."
Paul Yoon, author of Run Me to Earth
"A moving and exhilarating debut! With exquisite prose and unerring pace, Swann guides us through the strained-loyalties, love affairs, and violent disasters of a rural Texas town populated by characters as vibrant and compelling as the ancient gods they echo. Swann masterfully crafts both soul-stirring moments of connection and gasp-out-loud action often on the same page. With the wit of Flannery O Connor and the emotional scope of Donna Tartt, Swann sings family in all its painful, riveting beauty. I love this novel!"
Owen Egerton, author of Hollow and The Book of Harold, the Illegitimate Son of God
"A remarkable debut. Olympus, Texas is a gripping, big-hearted epic, full of characters you may recognize and will absolutely remember."
Jennifer duBois, author of The Spectators
"A total page-turner. Swann s debut is rich in Texas flavor and full of nods to classical mythology quotes from Ovid, twins human and canine, and the kind of relentless bad luck that usually means you've offended a deity."
Kirkus (starred review)
"Luminous...This epic makes the most of its vivid Texan setting, becoming as well a love letter to the state s rugged beauty and homegrown familiarity...This teems with skillfully evoked drama and tragedy."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Olympus, Texas portrays the messy realities of modern relationships and blended families...Swann immerses readers in small-town life while generously endowing each character with depth and agency...Rich and compelling.
Booklist (starred review)
"Fans of mythology will enjoy spotting the tragic parallels between Swann s characters and the Greek and Roman gods...Swann s prose is deeply descriptive and her characters heartfelt, but it all boils down to whether anyone in this family can get past their selfish feelings, unrestrained passions and bottled-up anger long enough to forgive each other."
BookPage
[Swann] possesses a distinctive voice, a Southern style of storytelling as befits Baja Louisiana. East Texas, in all its primordial, primeval, practically biblical glory [is] the fitting setting for the fictional Olympus and the sins of its minor deities...Tucked inside the action of each day [are] origin stories (a Greek chorus, if you will) of rage and broken hearts and mistakes and youthful promises impossible to keep offering explanations for the now-fraught relationships that lend much to the richness of these characters...Swann is skillful at foreshadowing unseemly mysteries, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and extracting maximum texture from analogies without being wordy... This debut novel is a great combination of rollicking entertainment and timeless philosophical questions a big, messy family saga about home and love and how we mere mortals fail each but try, try again.
Lone Star Literary Life
Sarah Bird, best-selling author of Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen
"An uncanny twin-myth of modern Texas and ancient Greece that feels familiar and strange, loving and painful like family itself. Olympus, Texas is an achievement of sustained brilliance, and an audacious opening to Swann s fated journey into the canon of greats."
Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek
"Here is a lightning field of a novel: enthralling, vast, dark, bright, beautiful and dangerous. I was hypnotized by it. Stacey Swann is an unforgettable force, and Olympus, Texas will carry you and embrace you with all its heart, strength, and hope."
Paul Yoon, author of Run Me to Earth
"A moving and exhilarating debut! With exquisite prose and unerring pace, Swann guides us through the strained-loyalties, love affairs, and violent disasters of a rural Texas town populated by characters as vibrant and compelling as the ancient gods they echo. Swann masterfully crafts both soul-stirring moments of connection and gasp-out-loud action often on the same page. With the wit of Flannery O Connor and the emotional scope of Donna Tartt, Swann sings family in all its painful, riveting beauty. I love this novel!"
Owen Egerton, author of Hollow and The Book of Harold, the Illegitimate Son of God
"A remarkable debut. Olympus, Texas is a gripping, big-hearted epic, full of characters you may recognize and will absolutely remember."
Jennifer duBois, author of The Spectators
"A total page-turner. Swann s debut is rich in Texas flavor and full of nods to classical mythology quotes from Ovid, twins human and canine, and the kind of relentless bad luck that usually means you've offended a deity."
Kirkus (starred review)
"Luminous...This epic makes the most of its vivid Texan setting, becoming as well a love letter to the state s rugged beauty and homegrown familiarity...This teems with skillfully evoked drama and tragedy."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Olympus, Texas portrays the messy realities of modern relationships and blended families...Swann immerses readers in small-town life while generously endowing each character with depth and agency...Rich and compelling.
Booklist (starred review)
"Fans of mythology will enjoy spotting the tragic parallels between Swann s characters and the Greek and Roman gods...Swann s prose is deeply descriptive and her characters heartfelt, but it all boils down to whether anyone in this family can get past their selfish feelings, unrestrained passions and bottled-up anger long enough to forgive each other."
BookPage
[Swann] possesses a distinctive voice, a Southern style of storytelling as befits Baja Louisiana. East Texas, in all its primordial, primeval, practically biblical glory [is] the fitting setting for the fictional Olympus and the sins of its minor deities...Tucked inside the action of each day [are] origin stories (a Greek chorus, if you will) of rage and broken hearts and mistakes and youthful promises impossible to keep offering explanations for the now-fraught relationships that lend much to the richness of these characters...Swann is skillful at foreshadowing unseemly mysteries, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and extracting maximum texture from analogies without being wordy... This debut novel is a great combination of rollicking entertainment and timeless philosophical questions a big, messy family saga about home and love and how we mere mortals fail each but try, try again.
Lone Star Literary Life
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