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Published Mar 2010
288 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Paperback Original. From award-winning writer Gabrielle Zevin comes a biting, powerful, and deliciously entertaining novel about an American family and their misguided efforts to stay afloat—spiritually, morally, and financially.
Meet the Pomeroys: a church-going family living in a too-red house in a Texas college town. Roger, the patriarch, has impulsively gone back to school, only to find his future ambitions at odds with the temptations of the present. His wife, Georgia, tries to keep things in order at home, but she’s been feeding the bill drawer with unopened envelopes for months and can never find the right moment to confront its swelling contents. In an attempt to climb out of the holes they’ve dug, Roger and Georgia make a series of choices that have catastrophic consequences for their three children—especially for Patsy, the youngest, who will spend most of her life fighting to overcome them.
The Hole We’re In shines a spotlight on some of the most relevant issues of our day - over-reliance on credit, vexed gender-and-class politics, the war in Iraq—but it is Zevin’s deft exploration of the fragile economy of family life that makes this a book for the ages.
"Starred Review. Zevin mixes sharp humor with moments of grace as she gives readers terrific insights into the problems of adult children removing themselves from the influence of parents." - Publishers Weekly
"Zevin's ambitious reach into the future may put off some readers, but others will warm to her clear-eyed compassion for people doing the best they can and wreaking considerable damage along the way." - Kirkus Reviews
"An unforgettable novel about flawed characters desperate to get back to the garden of an idealized American Eden - where debts are forgiven, family secrets remain buried, everyone gets a good credit rating and a higher education, and spiritual redemption can be achieved with a new coat of paint." - Stephanie Kallos, author of Broken For You and Sing Them Home
"Gabrielle Zevin's sentences burst like fireworks off the page. Smart, sassy, and wise, The Hole We're In is a delightful treat." - Amanda Eyre Ward, author of How To Be Lost and Love Stories in this Town
"An unflinching depiction of an All-American family. Hypocritical, debt-ridden, God-fearing - there might not be much to admire about Zevin's characters, but there is much to love about them. The Hole We're In is a compelling read, and a true and honest novel." - Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of The Scenic Route
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Gabrielle Zevin is an internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed author, whose books have been translated into thirty-nine languages.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry spent several months on the New York Times Best Seller List, reached #1 on the National Indie Best Seller List, was a USA Today Best Seller, and has been a best seller all around the world. A.J. Fikry was honored with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award for Fiction and the Japan Booksellers' Prize, and was long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award, among other honors. The Toronto Globe and Mail called the book "a powerful novel about the power of novels."
Her debut, Margarettown, was a selection of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program and was long-listed for the ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Gabrielle Zevin's Website
Name Pronunciation
Gabrielle Zevin: First syllable of first name rhymes with cab
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