The Best People in the World

A Novel

by Justin Tussing

On Sale: 01/23/2007

The Best People in the World

A Novel

by Justin Tussing

On Sale: 01/23/2007

Format:

About the Book

In Paducah, Kentucky, seventeen-year-old Thomas feels as reined in as the mighty Ohio, a river confined by high floodwalls protecting his small Southern hometown. But all boundaries vanish when Thomas experiences first love with Alice, his new history teacher, a woman eight years his senior—and when he meets Shiloh, a misfit vagabond and anarchist who becomes his new role model. Fleeing to rural Vermont, this unlikely trio boldly pursues freedom, intimacy, and seclusion, unfettered by commitments and rules. But a life apart from the world does not ensure a life apart from the past—and for one of them, the past that emerges will threaten tragedy.

Critical Praise

“An engrossing tale . . . The novel ultimately succeeds because of the original voice of the narrator.” — USA Today

“Tussing is a fine writer with a flair for imagery, and he’s crafted a melancholy, resonant story.” — Boston magazine

“Inventive . . . Eloquent in capturing what it’s like to be alien in your own hometown. — Rocky Mountain News

“Bleakly beautiful... Tussing skillfully crafts simultaneously visionary and demented characters... [An] odd but honest, appealing American story.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A fresh, original voice . . . Tussing fashions a sophisticated exploration of the allure of love.” — Des Moines Register

“One bright book of exuberant American life . . . Tussing has a real gift.” — New York Times Book Review

“It is very rare to find a novel so lovingly, deliberately and perfectly written . . . Read it. Now.” — Salon

“A significant literary feat... Announces the arrival of a talented young voice on the contemporary fiction scene.” — Boston Sunday Globe

“This novel is rich in character, and it offers scene after scene of crackling, revelatory dialogue among lovers and friends.” — Chicago Tribune

“[A] lovely novel . . . Tussing is a witty, affecting writer.” — Washington Post Book World

“A richly complicated and very wonderful novel . . . Ambitious and mesmerizing.” — Newsday

“A self-assured debut that lovingly depicts how the past never stops revisiting us, even if we can’t revisit it.” — Portland Oregonian

“A strong work... Tussing’s take on the irrevocability of adolescent whim and heady self-determination is chillingly real.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A rewarding read... Witty, well paced, and inventive... Tussing writes beautifully.” — Christian Science Monitor

“Marks the arrival of a compelling novelist with the gifts to enhance the contemporary literary landscape.” — ThisWeek

“Plaintive and powerful imagery... Breathtaking... A hauntingly atmospheric ode to love’s enigmatic and labyrinthine nature.” — Booklist

“Filled with surprise, recklessness, melancholy, headlong romance, and hilarity. Justin Tussing is the real thing. It doesn’t happen that often.” — Ron Hansen, author of MARIETTE IN ECSTASY and ATTICUS, National Book Award Finalist

“[A] beautiful, fearless novel... By turns comic and mysterious and wild, ultimately this is a heartbreaking book.” — Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of MADELEINE IS SLEEPING, National Book Award finalist

“Undeniably original imagination . . . An impressive work of fiction by a writer blessed with a distinctive voice.” — BookPage

“Defies categorization... The twists and turns are never predictable, and the open-ended denouement will leave readers wanting more.” — Pittsburgh Tribune Review

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Resources

Product Details

  • ISBN: 9780060815356
  • ISBN 10: 0060815353
  • Imprint: Harper Perennial
  • On Sale: 01/23/2007
  • Pages: 368
  • List Price:17.50 CAD
  • BISAC1 : FICTION / Literary
  • BISAC2 : FICTION / Historical
  • BISAC3 : FICTION / Coming of Age
  • BISAC4 : FICTION / Romance / Contemporary

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